News & Commentary

Industry Bids on 1.7 Million Acres for New Offshore Drilling

December 20, 2023 Expert BlogTexas, Louisiana, Mississippi, AlabamaRebecca Loomis

BOEM's offshore oil and gas lease sale offered nearly 73 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico to the fossil fuel industry.

Yet Another Oil Spill Hits the Gulf of Mexico

December 8, 2023 Expert BlogLouisianaRebecca Loomis, Valerie Cleland

The largest Gulf oil spill since Deepwater Horizon highlights the inherent risks of offshore drilling to coastal communities and marine ecosystems.

Even One More Oil and Gas Lease Sale in the Gulf of Mexico Is Too Many

November 17, 2023 ExplainerUnited States, LouisianaCourtney Lindwall

An expansion of offshore drilling would lock the region into decades of fossil fuel extraction at the expense of the climate, coastal communities, and marine life.

Holding BOEM Accountable for Offshore Leasing Reform

November 3, 2023 Expert BlogTexas, Louisiana, Mississippi, AlabamaRebecca Loomis

New offshore leasing proposed by BOEM would cause unacceptable harm to our climate, ocean, and Gulf communities. But agency reforms can help lessen the impacts.

Biden Administration Expands the Gulf's Waters to Oil and Gas Drilling

October 3, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, TexasAndrew Wetzler

The region's communities and marine life will continue to be exposed to the catastrophic risk and ongoing damage of these inherently hazardous industrial operations at sea.

Taxpayers Still on Hook for Oil and Gas Clean-up, Despite New Rule

September 25, 2023 Expert BlogTexas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, AlaskaRebecca Ramirez

BOEM's proposed rule falls short in requiring oil and gas companies to demonstrate they are financially able to fully remove and clean up platforms & pipelines.

Water Is Life—from Standing Rock to Oaxaca’s Mixtecan Highlands

September 18, 2023 PerspectivesMexico, West, South DakotaElybeth Sofia Alcantar

A geographer sees a familiar pattern of government-backed energy projects devastating Indigenous communities and violating tribal sovereignty.  

Study Shows 14,000 Unplugged Oil and Gas Wells in Gulf of Mexico

May 23, 2023 Expert BlogTexas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, FloridaRebecca Loomis, Rebecca Ramirez

Industry has neglected thousands of unused oil and gas wells in the Gulf of Mexico. They will cost an estimated $30 billion to plug and decommission.

The Proposed Colorado River Deal: A Short-Term Band-Aid for a Long-Term Problem

May 23, 2023 Expert BlogWest, California, Arizona, Nevada, MexicoDr. Mark Gold

The Colorado River conservation proposal from Arizona, California, and Nevada reduces diversions by 1 million acre feet a year. Is this enough to make river management sustainable?

Holding Interior to Account on Gulf Oil and Gas Leasing

March 6, 2023 Expert BlogAlabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, TexasIrene Gutierrez

Continuing to extract oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico will have a steep price for the environment and coastal communities in the region. That's why NRDC and our partners took BOEM to court.

It’s Time to Transition Away from Offshore Oil Leasing

October 6, 2022 Expert BlogAlaska, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, FloridaIrene Gutierrez

Public Comment Needed on Oil and Gas Leasing Proposal

July 14, 2022 Expert BlogAlaska, LouisianaValerie Cleland, Lauren Kubiak

Interior Nixes Lease Sales in Alaska and Gulf of Mexico

May 12, 2022 Expert BlogAlaska, Louisiana, United StatesIrene Gutierrez

In a big win for communities and climate, three oil and gas offshore lease sales have been cancelled.

Despite Climate Dangers, Offshore Leasing Continues in Gulf

November 17, 2021 Expert BlogUnited States, Louisiana, Florida, Texas, Mississippi, AlabamaValerie Cleland, Lauren Kubiak

This morning, the Biden administration held the largest offshore oil and gas lease sale in U.S. history. Though the Biden administration has been bold on climate in other ways, this latest action is profoundly disappointing.

NRDC Sues to Challenge Seismic Testing in the Gulf of Mexico

July 22, 2021 Expert BlogTexas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, FloridaMichael Jasny

Among the animals at greatest risk from the impacts of seismic testing is the Gulf of Mexico whale—one of the most endangered marine mammals on the planet.

Latin America at the Leaders Summit on Climate

April 23, 2021 Expert BlogArgentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, MexicoCarolina Herrera, Jessica Carey-Webb, Marilyn Kunce, Amanda Maxwell

The five Latin American countries that participated in the Leaders Summit on Climate – Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico – displayed a broad range of ambition. Once again, some countries demonstrated their willingness to be climate action leaders while…

Holding Mexico Accountable for Vaquita Extinction

March 31, 2021 Expert BlogMexicoZak Smith

Mexico has a choice. It can save the vaquita by enforcing its laws and regulations or it can let the vaquita go extinct. It has already shown that it is inclined to choose extinction. The United States and others, like…

For a Family in Mexico, a Mission to Protect Monarchs

February 9, 2021 DispatchMexicoNicole Greenfield

Siblings Joel, Anayeli, and Patricio Moreno see the future of their community and that of the butterflies that migrate annually to the local Cerro Pelón forest as being intimately connected.

Monarch Butterflies Struggle as Feds Delay Protection

December 15, 2020 Expert BlogMexico, United StatesDr. Sylvia Fallon

In the last six years, many voluntary efforts have been made to help boost monarch populations. Now the butterflies will have to wait even longer to receive more help.

As Sea Level Rise Threatens Their Ancestral Village, a Louisiana Tribe Fights to Stay Put

April 13, 2020 DispatchLouisianaBarry Yeoman

They survived the BP oil disaster, Hurricane Katrina, and decades of industry spoiling their wetlands. Whatever their future holds, the people of Grand Bayou want to decide it for themselves.