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Meet the activists and NRDC staff propelling change, read our expert analysis, and learn about the latest challenges and solutions to advancing a healthier, more sustainable, and equitable world.

Aerial view of the National Petroleum Reserve in northwestern Alaska

The Biden Administration Protects Millions of Acres of Arctic Alaska

April 19, 2024 Latest NewsAlaskaJenny Shalant

The new Special Areas Rule in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska could boost biodiversity and empower Indigenous Peoples to defend the lands they’ve relied on for generations.

Two adults and a child walk along a sandy shoreline

“Forever Chemicals” Called PFAS Show Up in Your Food, Clothes, and Home

April 10, 2024 ExplainerUnited StatesMolly M. Ginty, Courtney Lindwall

These toxic chemicals are so common in consumer products and manufacturing that they’re everywhere—including inside our bodies.

A river with green trees on either side, with yellow hills in the background

In Planning for Climate Change, Native Americans Draw on the Past

March 11, 2024 ExplainerUnited States, CanadaTim Vanderpool

Across North America, Indigenous tribes and nations are consulting their traditional ecological knowledge to help prepare for a warming world.

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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…

New Poll: Access to Safe Drinking Water a Top Priority

November 16, 2022 Expert BlogIllinois, ChicagoAngela Guyadeen

Despite high support for safe drinking water, action and leadership is lagging.

Infrastructure Law’s Lead Pipe Removal Effort Is Wildly Popular

November 16, 2022 Expert BlogUnited StatesErik D. Olson

Nine in 10 Americans support removing 100% of lead pipes from our water systems within 10 years. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed a year ago will help, but EPA must overhaul its lead in drinking water rule to make it…

Delivering the Promise of the Infrastructure Law

November 15, 2022 Expert BlogUnited StatesValerie Baron, Shelley Poticha

A year ago President Biden signed the blockbuster 1.2 trillion dollar infrastructure law, and it’s clear that this time we have a chance to do it right. Too often in the past, spending on highways divided and destroyed communities of…

What’s Scarier Than Lead in Your Drinking Water?

October 24, 2022 Expert BlogIllinois, ChicagoAngela Guyadeen, Gina Ramirez

October 23–29 is National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week—let’s use the opportunity to take action.

Q&A: Chicago’s Drinking Water Problem Needs a Real Solution

September 26, 2022 Expert BlogIllinois, ChicagoGina Ramirez, Ellen Lee

NRDC’s Ellen Lee sits down with Gina Ramirez to discuss her experience growing up in Chicago drinking bottled water to avoid lead poisoning, and the urgent need for the city to replace lead pipes.

Mayor Lightfoot Can Get the Lead Out

September 26, 2022 Expert BlogIllinois, ChicagoAngela Guyadeen

Years Later, Lead Pipes Remain in Chicago

September 22, 2022 Expert BlogIllinois, ChicagoGina Ramirez

My mom has been applying for Chicago’s Equity Lead Service Line Replacement Program for the past two years. In response, she’s gotten nothing but rejections after jumping through hundreds of hoops.

Reflections of a Chicago Community Organizer: Water Justice and the Need to Act Now

September 14, 2022 PerspectivesChicagoOscar Sanchez

During a trip to a water conference, an environmental justice activist considers what it takes to support his community without letting go of the importance of healing.

CA Legislature Turning Off Tap on PFAS “Forever” Chemicals

September 13, 2022 Expert BlogCaliforniaAvinash Kar

The end of the legislative session in California brought welcome news on PFAS, a class of toxic “forever” chemicals consisting of 12,000+ chemicals. Several pieces of legislation addressing this toxic and persistent class of chemicals moved forward.

NJ Adopts Nation’s Best Water Affordability Transparency Law

September 13, 2022 Expert BlogNew JerseyLarry Levine

Under the state’s new law, we’ll be able to see where, and to what extent, people struggle to afford utility bills and suffer devastating impacts like shutoffs and tax lien sales.

Jackson Water Crisis Highlights Race, Disinvestment & Poor Oversight

September 9, 2022 Expert BlogJacksonErik D. Olson

The new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law could help, but must be implemented right by states and EPA.

Three Ways We Can Make Schools Healthier This Year

August 24, 2022 ExplainerUnited StatesNicole Greenfield

From lead plumbing to a lack of air-conditioning, schools across the United States are jeopardizing the health and safety of students, teachers, and staff.

Addressing Benton Harbor’s Lead Water Crisis Took a Village—and Years

August 9, 2022 DispatchBenton HarborKyler Sumter

As in Flint, Michigan, severe lead contamination in Benton Harbor illustrates the obstacles environmental justice communities face, and why the fight for stronger federal protections continues.

Lead Pipe Funding Shortchanges States with the Most Lead Water Pipes

July 21, 2022 Expert BlogUnited StatesCyndi Roper

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes a $15 billion commitment to replace the nation’s lead pipes, but key improvements are needed to equitably distribute funding and align this assistance with need.

CA Bill Directs Federal Funds to Remove Lead in Water

July 14, 2022 Expert BlogCaliforniaCorinne Bell

AB 1931 would direct hundreds of millions of federal dollars to removing lead sources from our drinking water system. But the state and water utilities need to recognize they have a problem first.