News & Commentary

DOE Puts People First: LNG Exports Paused Pending Review

January 31, 2024 Expert BlogWashington, D.C., Texas, Louisiana, PennsylvaniaMorgan Johnson

Biden DOE’s pause on LNG exports represents forward movement from an Environmental Justice lens, but must be met with real reform.

What DC Water's Boil Advisory Fumble Teaches Us About Lead

January 23, 2024 Expert BlogWashington, D.C.Valerie Baron

DC Water put customers at risk. Safeguards being considered by the EPA for the new Lead and Copper Rule could help—if the agency gets it right.

Bipartisan Farm Bill Extension Signals Hope for 2024

December 15, 2023 Expert BlogWashington, D.C., United StatesAllison Johnson, Matthew Kaplan, Jeff Slyfield, Jeffrey McManus

The one-year Farm Bill extension ensures short-term continuity, and we look forward to a full 2024 Farm Bill that protects people and the environment

We Need Healthy Farm Ecosystems – Not Harmful Pesticides

December 14, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, Washington, D.C., Florida, CaliforniaAllison Johnson

EPA should do more to protect pollinators – and we need to ramp up resources to help farmers build healthy ecosystems themselves.

Year in Review for DOE Clean Energy Innovation and Perspectives for 2024

December 12, 2023 Expert BlogWashington, D.C.Sangina Wright

Clean energy innovation remains an essential pillar of the clean energy transition. In 2023, we witnessed numerous exciting developments out of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)—all while partisan fighting in Congress threatened to derail the ability of DOE to…

Shifting Federal Funding to Communities: ECJ Program Could Be a Historic Opportunity

September 6, 2023 Expert BlogWashington, D.C.Chantelle "Ella" Mendonsa

The EPA ECJ program grants directed over $2 billion to marginalized communities to reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to respond to environmental and climate justice challenges.

Funding the Government for FY2024, Part 3: The Senate to the Rescue?

August 29, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, Washington, D.C.Kyle T. Jones

In part 3, I examine the more respectable work of the Senate and conclude with potential next steps.

Funding the Government for FY2024, Part 2: Calamity in the House

August 29, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, Washington, D.C.Kyle T. Jones

In part 2, I review the shoddy work of the House of Representatives.

Funding the Government for FY2024, Part 1: The State of Play

August 29, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, Washington, D.C.Kyle T. Jones

In part 1, I summarize the overarching state of the federal appropriations process right now.

North Carolina's Opportunity for Clean and Equitable Transportation

August 8, 2023 Expert BlogNorth CarolinaCoral Lin

How North Carolina can leverage the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act (BIL) to secure climate, health, and economic benefits for all

A Farm Bill Worth Fighting For

August 2, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, Washington, D.C.Allison Johnson, Valerie Baron, Matthew Kaplan

We need a good Farm Bill – that advances climate, health, and worker protections – not one that turns back the clock.

Mapping Urban Heat Islands Is Helping These Neighborhoods Adapt

August 1, 2023 DispatchRaleigh, North Carolina, United StatesCourtney Lindwall

The Urban Heat Island mapping campaign is the largest national effort of its kind to identify why one section of a city can feel so different from another on any given summer day.

Organic Needs a Boost in the Farm Bill

July 12, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, California, Iowa, Washington, D.C.Allison Johnson

Our public investments in organic food production have not kept pace with the organic sector’s growth – and that’s a missed opportunity for domestic economic development. The Opportunities in Organic Act would help U.S. farms meet consumer demand by reducing…

Rate Increases and Blackouts: Duke Energy’s Strategy for 2023

April 6, 2023 Expert BlogNorth Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, EastLuis Martinez

Duke failed to keep the lights on last December, but it is now pursuing enormous rate increases of more than 30 percent to help pay for fossil fuels and huge executive salary raises.

The Clean Energy Future: How We Get There Matters

November 21, 2022 Expert BlogNorth Carolina, United StatesDr. Anna Reade, Dr. Katie Pelch

A clean and sustainable energy future is needed for addressing climate change, but how we get there matters. In the midst of global efforts to clean up and eliminate the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”), Chemours is doubling…

Recent Chemical Disasters Impel Stronger Federal Safety Regs

October 25, 2022 Expert BlogUnited States, New Jersey, Louisiana, North CarolinaSahana Rao

Advancing Environmental Justice - Forty Years Later

September 28, 2022 Expert BlogNorth CarolinaDawone Robinson

EPA Administrator Michael Regan hosted an event in Warren County, North Carolina and announced the creation of a new national office dedicated to the advancement of environmental justice across the country.

Why Congress Must Pass the Climate Bill

July 29, 2022 Expert BlogUnited States, Washington, D.C.Manish Bapna

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is the strongest congressional climate action yet—in the moment we need it most.

Documenting the Attempt to Overturn Our Election

June 9, 2022 Expert BlogWashington, D.C., United StatesMitchell Bernard

The January 6 committee’s public hearings will shine a bright light on the threats to our democracy.

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…