News & Commentary

North Carolina Needs to Live Up to its Transportation Commitments

November 8, 2023 Expert BlogNorth CarolinaPatrick King

NRDC's recently published scorecard shows some of the progress being made in the state, but also highlights the significant work that remains to be done.

Washington State Acts on Snake River Restoration

August 30, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, WashingtonGiulia C.S. Good Stefani

If the federal government proposes a pathway to comprehensive Snake River restoration, we will all benefit from the important planning and progress underway in Washington State.

Extreme Heat Costs North Carolina Employers and Workers

July 6, 2023 Expert BlogNorth CarolinaJuanita Constible

North Carolina workers urgently need formal standards to protect them from the costly health consequences of extreme heat.

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

Compost, Rodents, and Bears—Oh My!

October 5, 2022 Expert BlogNorth CarolinaDarby Hoover

As officials in Asheville, NC worked to develop the city's food scraps drop-off pilot program, they needed to take bear-proofing into close consideration.

Washington on the Verge of “Cleanest Homes in the Nation”

September 29, 2022 Expert BlogWashingtonAlejandra Mejia Cunningham

The Washington State Building Code Council is poised to extend requirements that all new residential buildings must use high efficiency space and water heating equipment that can run on 100% clean power.

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.

EVs Will Drive North Carolina to Cleaner Air for Everyone

April 6, 2022 Expert BlogNorth CarolinaKathy Harris, Luis Martinez

A new report indicates that North Carolina would see $150 billion in cumulative net societal benefits by 2050 through the adoption of The Advanced Clean Cars II, Advanced Clean Trucks, and the Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) Omnibus Rules.

EPA: It’s Time to Act. We need Clean Trucks Now

March 3, 2022 Expert BlogUnited States, California, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Oregon, WashingtonPatricio Portillo, Heather Kryczka

Cutting tailpipe emissions and moving to zero emission vehicles can eliminate the diesel fumes causing childhood asthma, emergency room visits, and loss of life.

Celebrating Year One of the Food Matters Regional Initiative

August 30, 2021 Expert BlogChicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Madison, Ohio, Baltimore, Jersey City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, North Carolina, Memphis, OrlandoMadeline Keating, Darby Hoover

A year after the launch of the Food Matters Regional Initiative, we are pleased to report considerable progress and accomplishments from the 15 regional initiative participants.

Washington State Adds Emergency Rules to Protect Workers from Heat and Wildfire Smoke

August 13, 2021 DispatchWashingtonLora Shinn

But many advocates point out that to fully address our new climate reality, we also need national solutions.

Monster Heat Wave Harming Health in Pacific Northwest

June 30, 2021 Expert BlogOregon, WashingtonJuanita Constible

Workers and other at risk populations need better protections from extreme heat.

The Drinking Water Crisis That North Carolina Ignored

June 7, 2021 DispatchNorth CarolinaNicole Greenfield

For decades, DuPont dumped toxic PFAS into the Cape Fear River. Today, a local community is suffering the health consequences—and fighting back.

Washington State Amps Up Controls on HFC Emissions

May 17, 2021 Expert BlogWashingtonChristina Theodoridi

Ambitious new law in Washington sets a maximum limit—or, global warming potential (GWP), threshold on the HFCs used in stationary air conditioning and refrigeration, and mandates that a refrigerant management program be created to combat HFC releases from large existing…

Energy From Pig Poop: Industry’s Recent Dupe

May 11, 2021 Expert BlogUnited States, North CarolinaPaloma Sisneros-Lobato

Pork producer Smithfield Foods, in partnership with Dominion Energy under the new name Align RNG, have focused their corporate agribusiness agenda on building a network of directed biogas to generate energy from methane gas, rather than investing in cleaner waste…

Every State Should Have a Right to a Healthy Environment

March 29, 2021 Expert BlogNorth Carolina, Pennsylvania, Montana, Massachusetts, CaliforniaCorinne Bell

A few states currently have a constitutional right to a healthy environment and several more are working to enshrine such rights.

Lowe’s Bans PFAS in Fabric Protector Sprays

March 29, 2021 Expert BlogCalifornia, WashingtonSujatha Bergen

In a step forward for public health, Lowe’s has banned the sale of fabric protectors that contain toxic PFAS chemicals in its stores.

Stressed by Heat, Farmworkers Deserve Federal Protections

March 26, 2021 Expert BlogCalifornia, Washington, MinnesotaTeniope Adewumi-Gunn

Unprotected from many basic workplace rights and in the face of a growing climate crisis that threatens their well-being, farmworkers deserve federal safeguards from extreme heat and its dangerous effects.

Mussels Help Keep Watch on Pollution in Puget Sound

August 20, 2020 DispatchWashingtonStarre Vartan

The humble bivalves, which concentrate everything from heavy metals to cancer drugs in their tissues, provide an ideal way for scientists to monitor nearshore water health.