News & Commentary

Thar She Blows! New England Harnesses the Power Gusting Over the Atlantic

January 10, 2017 DispatchMassachusetts, United StatesClara Chaisson

The U.S. offshore wind industry got spinning in 2016. Will 2017 keep it going?

The South Is Keeping a Closer Eye on Coal Ash

November 30, 2016 DispatchSouth Carolina, North CarolinaRobynne Boyd

Thanks to concerned citizens, the coal industry is making progress on how it handles its combustion wastes, but the toxic slurry is still a threat to groundwater.

The Petcoke Problem: Where to Store the Risky Tar Sands Refining By-Product

November 1, 2016 ExplainerUnited States, Canada, Chicago, Detroit, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Virginia

Petroleum coke, typically stored outdoors in big open piles, can blow right into nearby homes and cause serious health problems. Unsurprisingly, communities are fighting Big Oil to keep this noxious material out of their backyards.

Who Pays for Mine Cleanup After Big Coal Goes Bankrupt?

June 22, 2016 DispatchIllinois, Indiana, Kentucky, TennesseeSusan Cosier

Peabody Energy’s recent filing could change how the country funds mining messes.

Oil Drilling and Wetlands Don’t Mix—Especially in Big Cypress

June 2, 2016 DispatchFloridaRobynne Boyd

On a national preserve at the edge of the Everglades, oil exploration is threatening fragile habitat and endangered species, from woodpeckers to panthers.

What We Learned from the BP Oil Disaster

April 20, 2016 ExplainerUnited States, LouisianaPatrick Rogers

The resulting loss to life, livelihoods, and the environment hasn't slowed offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. But it should.

His Ancestors Hunted Them—Now This Man Is on a Mission to Save Arctic Whales

April 13, 2016 DispatchArctic, AlaskaJason Bittel

As climate change and oil drilling threaten the northern seas, John Morrison is carving out biodiversity hot spots for conservation.

More Drinking Water Contamination Linked to the Oil and Gas Industry in Texas and Pennsylvania

February 5, 2016 Expert BlogPennsylvania, TexasAmy Mall

A Victory for Free Speech

December 31, 2015 NRDC in ActionNew YorkEli Chen

NRDC's Community Fracking Defense Project allows residents to stand up to oil and gas companies.

Hold the Applause

September 29, 2015 Latest NewsArcticBrian Palmer

Shell has left the Arctic for now, but the region isn’t safe from oil drills until the president locks the door.

Kotzebue Calling

August 31, 2015 DispatchAlaska, ArcticBruce Barcott

President Obama’s trip to the Arctic will reveal some cold, hard truths about the fossil-fuel industry’s impact on Alaskans.

Not-So-Vacant Lots

August 28, 2015 DispatchNew Orleans, LouisianaAlisa Opar

From birds to trees to rats, post-Katrina New Orleans is a study in “disaster ecology.”

Northward Ho!

August 27, 2015 Latest NewsArctic, AlaskaAlisa Opar

Obama is headed to the Arctic. Here are five things the president should put on his must-do-in-Alaska list.

Who Should Pay to Restore the Louisiana Coastline?

August 26, 2015 DispatchLouisianaBrian Palmer

The oil and gas industry says, “not it.”

Killing KXL

August 12, 2015 NRDC in ActionCanada, Nebraska, Washington, D.C., United States

How an unlikely coalition of environmental activists stopped the destructive tar sands oil pipeline.

Thanks, Chevron?

August 5, 2015 ExplainerUnited States, Washington, D.C.Brian Palmer

How a 1984 Supreme Court ruling for Big Oil could help Obama’s new plan to fight climate change.

Bringing the Noise

July 13, 2015 Latest NewsArcticAlisa Opar

How will Shell’s Arctic drilling affect marine mammals in the Chukchi Sea?

Actually, That's Not Right

June 26, 2015 ExplainerUnited States, Washington, D.C.Jeff Turrentine

Calling the (many) bluffs of the Clean Power Plan’s coal-loving, credulity-straining opponents.

Maryland Fracking Moratorium Becomes Law

May 29, 2015 Expert BlogMarylandKate Sinding

Gone Fishing

April 10, 2015 PerspectivesLouisianaSarah Craig, Rocky Kistner

Come to the best sportfishing resort in the bayou (if only the trout would start biting again).