News & Commentary

Collaborative Junk Science Is the Core of the Delta VA

May 9, 2022 Expert BlogCaliforniaDoug Obegi

If you wouldn’t trust oil tobacco companies to tell you what’s safe for your health, why would you trust these water agencies to say what’s good for fish and wildlife in the Bay-Delta watershed?

Water Rights, and Wrongs, in California

April 28, 2022 Expert BlogCaliforniaKate Poole

I’m grateful to the Stanford Environmental Law Clinic, Winnemem Wintu Tribe, Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Little Manila Rising and Restore the Delta for compiling this clear and compelling history of California water.

5 Takeaways on California 30x30 Report: Land and Freshwater

April 26, 2022 Expert BlogCaliforniaHelen O'Shea, Kate Poole

The 30x30 road map is getting clearer—and that's exciting! But there are still questions left unanswered.

Bay-Delta VA: A Sweetheart Deal to Subsidize Agribusiness

April 18, 2022 Expert BlogCaliforniaDoug Obegi

It’s not surprising, given who was in the room negotiating this backroom deal, that the VAs are a sweetheart deal that would subsidize the mitigation obligations of the state’s largest irrigation districts and industrial agribusinesses, undermining the Public Trust.

Restoring Riverscapes and Beavers in the West

April 11, 2022 Expert BlogWestAmy McNamara

BLM has a ripe opportunity to dramatically increase the health of its landscapes by managing its riverscapes as a critical piece of natural infrastructure.

Honey, the VAs Shrunk the Delta Flows

April 11, 2022 Expert BlogCaliforniaDoug Obegi

Since the State Water Resources Control Board began its public process to update the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan in 2008, the amount of water proposed for the Bay-Delta environment has continuously shrunk.

Who (and What) Are Excluded from Backroom Bay-Delta "Deal"

April 4, 2022 Expert BlogCaliforniaDoug Obegi

The State’s recent announcement of a proposed voluntary agreement for the Bay-Delta watershed is the result of an illegitimate, exclusionary backroom negotiation that fails to protect the health of the estuary, its native fish and wildlife, and the jobs and…

Gas Price Relief Shouldn’t Only Be for Drivers

March 23, 2022 Expert BlogCaliforniaVictoria Rome

NRDC stands ready to work on policies that mitigate price spikes while advancing transportation alternatives, reducing air pollution, and supporting the most vulnerable Californians.

Drought Shows that CA’s Water Rights System Is Bankrupt

March 21, 2022 Expert BlogCaliforniaDoug Obegi

The only way out of this cycle of destruction—other than praying for rain, which is not a strategy—is to reduce water deliveries and diversions in order to maintain adequate carryover storage in Shasta and upstream reservoirs this year.

Saving California's Salmon Is Now Up to Governor Newsom

March 11, 2022 Expert BlogCaliforniaKate Poole

Keeping the Trump administration's biological opinions in place would likely drive California’s wild salmon—as well as their habitat in the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary and all who depend on them—into a death spiral from which they may never recover.

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.

Saving Salmon—from One Generation of Fisherwomen to the Next

March 1, 2022 DispatchOregon, Washington, WestNicole Greenfield

Keyen Singer, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, carries on a maternal legacy of conserving salmon and preserving culture. Their efforts could soon pay off.

Clearing the Air: Climate and Air Quality Solutions

February 18, 2022 Expert BlogIndia, United States, InternationalAnjali Jaiswal

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

Proposed Port Expansion Puts South Oxnard Community at Risk

February 14, 2022 Expert BlogCaliforniaNatalia Ospina, Heather Kryczka

Five reasons the Environmental Impact Report is incomplete.

Let Us Breathe! A Vision for a Healthy Oxnard

February 10, 2022 Expert BlogCaliforniaNatalia Ospina, Heather Kryczka

Learn how an industrial project threatens a community-led vision for health and justice in a coastal California community, and support residents by submitting a comment letter by Feb. 14th.

California Leads the Way in Fighting the Biodiversity Crisis

December 22, 2021 Expert BlogCaliforniaSandy Aylesworth, Helen O'Shea

California once again has an opportunity to lead the country with visionary conservation efforts that put equity and access at the forefront of decision making.

Indian Cities Struggle for Clean Air

December 21, 2021 Expert BlogIndiaAnjali Jaiswal

Aiming to fight air pollution, India’s environment minister Bhupendar Yadav recently announced plans to scale clean air programs to a national mission, “Clean Air for All."

No Time for Half Measures to Prevent Extinction in the Delta

December 20, 2021 Expert BlogCaliforniaDoug Obegi

There is no time for half measures, like those proposed in the Interim Operations Plan, if we are going to stop the destruction of the Bay-Delta’s native fish and wildlife.

Will Los Angeles Finally Put an End to Oil Drilling in Neighborhoods?

November 12, 2021 DispatchLos AngelesNicole Greenfield

For close to a decade, the STAND-L.A. coalition has been calling on the city to stop extracting oil near homes and schools. Victory, at long last, is within reach.

Senator and WA Governor Join Forces to Tackle Snake Dams

November 1, 2021 Expert BlogWashington, WestGiulia C.S. Good Stefani

U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Washington Governor Jay Inslee answered advocates’ calls to energize the decades-long push to save our iconic salmon from extinction.