News & Commentary

Keeping the Lights On with Clean Energy

November 14, 2019 Expert BlogCaliforniaPeter Miller

California needs to ensure a reliable supply of electricity. But we need to do it as much as possible with clean resources, to avoid further burdening vulnerable communities that have historically hosted polluting facilities and to reduce our climate pollution…

On California’s Fires, More Smoke and Mirrors From Trump

November 8, 2019 Latest NewsCaliforniaJeff Turrentine

While the state smoldered, the president lashed out at Governor Newsom—and completely ignored the role played by climate change.

Settlements Constrain Efforts to Enlarge Shasta Dam

November 8, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, CaliforniaDrevet Hunt

California’s Attorney General, a coalition of fishing and environmental organizations that includes NRDC, and Westlands Water District settled lawsuits on terms that will help ensure Westlands does not assist with the ill-conceived plan to raise Shasta Dam.

Newsom Admin Faces Difficult Tests on California Water This Fall

September 30, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, CaliforniaDoug Obegi

The Newsom Administration is expected to respond to upcoming tests of sustainable water management.

The Snow Must Go On

September 25, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, CaliforniaKate Poole

Climate change is bringing many changes to California’s water system, but one of the most concerning is the loss of the Sierra snowpack caused by warming temperatures.

Freshwater Flows, Reduced Diversions Help Abate Toxic Algae

September 23, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, CaliforniaMelanie Sturm

Governor Newsom, California Needs SB 1

September 16, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, CaliforniaKate Poole

The bill addresses the need for California to provide clear direction to state agencies that the state can and must block reckless rollbacks of long-standing federal policies by an exploitative Trump administration hell-bent on undermining protections for California’s workers, air…

Why the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and Other Agencies Oppose SB 1

September 9, 2019 Expert BlogCaliforniaDoug Obegi

If you like Trump’s rollbacks of environmental protections, you’ll love the water districts’ proposed amendments to "fix" SB 1.

A Lack of Balance: Runoff and Harmful Algal Blooms

September 9, 2019 Expert BlogCalifornia, Los Angeles, New JerseyCorinne Bell

There’s a lot local agencies and regulators can do to help prevent algae blooms that threaten public health.

Newspapers Support SB 1 to Protect Against Trump Rollbacks

September 5, 2019 Expert BlogCaliforniaAnnie Notthoff

The legislation, authored by Senate pro Tem Toni Atkins, would ensure that California’s own environmental and public health laws provide a backstop to federal environmental rollbacks. 

We Must Act Now to Protect California’s Coast

September 5, 2019 Expert BlogCaliforniaIrene Gutierrez

California’s clean ocean economy is too valuable to squander for the prospect of a finite and dirty resource like offshore oil.

Why SB 1 Must Ensure that CESA Applies to the Federal CVP

September 3, 2019 Expert BlogCaliforniaKate Poole

The bill’s authors and proponents, including NRDC, have worked long and hard to resolve the vast majority of concerns raised during the legislative session. Now, some are arguing that the bill should be stripped of its longstanding provision applying the…

Will CA Pass SB 1 to Resist Trump’s Environmental Assault?

August 16, 2019 Expert BlogCaliforniaDoug Obegi

The Trump Administration is stepping up its attacks on California’s rivers, salmon, and other native fish and wildlife, and the thousands of fishing jobs that depend on these environmental protections.

World Wildlife Conference: Last Chance for Vaquita

August 14, 2019 Expert BlogWest, California, MexicoZak Smith

The smallest porpoise species, found only in the northern Gulf of California, Mexico, has only around ten individuals left, making it the most critically endangered marine mammal on the planet.

Keeping Water Demand in Check

August 13, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, California, Los AngelesEd Osann

A new tool is shedding light on a growing mismatch between the supply and demand of fresh water.

Trump EPA Refuses to Ban Pesticide—Where’s California?

August 8, 2019 Expert BlogCaliforniaMiriam Rotkin-Ellman

California’s agricultural communities are continuing to sound the alarm for the health of their children, as a promised statewide ban on chlorpyrifos—a pesticide that harms children’s brains—has yet to go into effect.

Anti-Biodiversity Bill Gains Traction in California

August 5, 2019 Expert BlogInternational, CaliforniaElly Pepper

AB719 would allow the commercial import and sale of crocodile and alligator parts and products in California to continue until 2025, despite the fact that such activities are scheduled to be banned on January 1, 2020. 

Judge Halts Effort to Enlarge Shasta Dam in CA: #NoDamRaise

August 1, 2019 Expert BlogCaliforniaDrevet Hunt

A judge ordered Westlands Water District to halt its planning efforts to join the Bureau of Reclamation in expanding Shasta Dam in California.

California Beckons the Gray Wolf—but Can’t Guarantee a Safe Journey There

July 8, 2019 DispatchWest, California, Oregon, WashingtonCorey Binns

The future of wolves in the West depends on collaborative cross-border commitments to protecting this icon of the wild.

Why Everybody Is So Excited About 23 Salmon

June 14, 2019 Latest NewsCaliforniaAlisa Opar

After millennia of migrating to and from the sea, Chinook salmon disappeared from California’s San Joaquin River 65 years ago. Now they’re trickling back.