News & Commentary

Biden Restores Protections for Three National Monuments

October 8, 2021 Expert BlogUnited States, Utah, MassachusettsNRDC

After Trump’s rollback attempts, Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts will no longer be up for grabs by industry.

Drinking Through a Lead Straw in the District

July 29, 2021 Expert BlogWashington, D.C.Valerie Baron

According to NRDC’s new report Washington DC just distinguished itself—we are in the top 10 most lead-pipes-per-100,000 people of any state (or District) in the US. Not great news for the as many as 31,000 households drinking water through a…

Black Walden Came First. Thoreau, After.

February 1, 2021 DispatchMassachusettsCourtney Lindwall

A little-known community of formerly enslaved Black residents in Concord, Massachusetts, took up home in Walden Woods long before Henry David Thoreau arrived. Today, local activists are working to ensure the stories of Black Walden stay alive.

Goodbye, Yucca. It’s Now Time for Consent for Nuclear Waste.

January 28, 2021 Expert BlogNevadaGeoffrey H. Fettus, Dr. Matthew McKinzie

NRDC stands ready to work with Granholm upon her expected confirmation, the Administration, and Congress to solves this Rubik’s Cube of environmental challenges.

As 2020 Ends, We Still Need All Hands In

December 28, 2020 Expert BlogUnited States, Washington, D.C.Gina McCarthy

In January, I will be joining the Biden–Harris powerhouse of a Climate Cabinet, and NRDC will continue the work to build a cleaner, healthier, more just and equitable world.

Bipartisan States Commit to Clean and Healthy Transportation

December 21, 2020 Expert BlogMassachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Washington, D.C.Bruce Ho

A bipartisan group of Eastern states announce an agreement to modernize transportation.

A New York Climate Justice Activist with Roots in the Blue Ridge Mountains

December 11, 2020 DispatchNew York City, Washington, D.C.Carmen Cusido

WE ACT’s director of environmental health and education, Taylor Morton, who found their path to environmental justice work through a childhood spent in nature, wants to help the next generation get outside without fear.

House Doubles Down on Pebble Mine

November 25, 2020 Expert BlogWashington, D.C., United StatesTaryn Kiekow Heimer

Leaders of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure requested records about the proposed Pebble Mine to determine whether Pebble executives duped Congress, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the public about the size and scope of the project.

Biden Plan Promises Better Buildings, for Climate and Equity

November 17, 2020 Expert BlogUnited States, Washington, D.C.Khalil Shahyd, Lauren Urbanek

The incoming Biden-Harris administration faces four interlocking crises that must be tackled head-on.

Job for Day 1: Restore & Expand Efficiency Standards Program

November 17, 2020 Expert BlogUnited States, Washington, D.C.Kit Kennedy

When President-elect Joe Biden takes office, he’ll lead the United States in a time in which our country faces intertwined crises related to climate change, COVID-19 and its related economic effects, and racial injustice. Ambitious, cross-cutting and well-designed climate action…

In Biden’s Win, a Unifying Call for Bold Action on Climate

November 13, 2020 Expert BlogUnited States, Washington, D.C.Gina McCarthy

It’s now time to turn campaign promises into climate progress. Here’s what that looks like.

A Fearless Defender for Our Future

January 6, 2020 NRDC in ActionBoston, Washington, D.C., United StatesJeff Turrentine

President and CEO Gina McCarthy started out as a public health agent in small-town Massachusetts, rose to become head of the EPA under Obama, and now guides NRDC into its next chapter.

A Roadmap for Frontline Communities

December 15, 2019 NRDC in ActionWashington, D.C., United StatesJeff Turrentine

To address the growing climate impacts on low-income people and communities of color, NRDC signed on to a historic platform that seeks to create a future that benefits all.

Principles for Parks and Equitable Development

August 28, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, MemphisSasha Forbes, AICP

Assets in our communities that offer us increased connectivity, shelter, and planned outdoor spaces can act as triggers that escalate land values which usually price out existing residents, often low-income and people of color, and more often renters. But communities…

Cape Cod’s Gray Seal and White Shark Problem Is Not Black-and-White

November 9, 2018 ExplainerUnited States, MassachusettsJason Bittel

After a rare shark bite takes a life, some in this beach region want to go after the seals.

Why Women Rule NRDC’s Science Center

March 27, 2018 NRDC in ActionSan Francisco, Washington, D.C., New York City, Ahmedabad, India, United StatesJenny Shalant

And why female leaders tend to be more attuned to issues of environmental equity.

The March for Equity, the Environment, and Women Are One, Says This Advocate

January 19, 2018 NRDC in ActionFlorida, Miami, Washington, D.C.Nicole Greenfield

NRDC’s Sasha Forbes talks environmental justice, and why women are often at the helm of this work.

This Is How We Stand Up to Trump

December 20, 2017 NRDC in ActionUnited States, Washington, D.C., Utah, Michigan, CaliforniaNicole Greenfield

Meet a handful of the NRDC staffers who resisted Trump’s attacks and defended our environment in 2017—and who won’t stop fighting anytime soon.

This Leader of the (Legal) Resistance Has Never Felt More Ready

December 7, 2017 NRDC in ActionWashington, D.C., Flint, Michigan, MaineJeff Turrentine

NRDC Chief Counsel Mitch Bernard takes on big polluters, climate deniers, and their powerful allies—including those who sit in the West Wing.

This 13-Year-Old Gives Us Hope for the Future

November 16, 2017 DispatchConnecticut, Washington, D.C.Nicole Greenfield

From the classroom to Capitol Hill, Sena Wazer has dedicated herself to standing up for whales.