News & Commentary

Now's the Time to Fortify CA Safer Consumer Products Program

August 20, 2019 Expert BlogCaliforniaAvinash Kar

Breaking down SB502

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.

A Small Town’s Battle Against Radioactive Fracking Waste

January 9, 2019 DispatchKentuckyAustyn Gaffney

After an illegal dumping of close to 2,000 tons of dangerous sludge and contaminated materials across the street from two schools, a Kentucky community struggles with what to do next.

The Connection Between Mass Incarceration and Environmental Justice

January 19, 2018 ExplainerUnited States, Pennsylvania, KentuckyNicole Greenfield

The country’s prison industry has little regard for where its facilities are located—even if that means building on noxiously polluted ground.

This Is How We Stand Up to Trump

December 20, 2017 NRDC in ActionUnited States, Washington, D.C., Utah, Michigan, CaliforniaNicole Greenfield

Meet a handful of the NRDC staffers who resisted Trump’s attacks and defended our environment in 2017—and who won’t stop fighting anytime soon.

Buy Cleaning Products? A New Law Has Your Back

November 27, 2017 DispatchCaliforniaCorey Binns

Manufacturers will soon have to disclose what’s in the bottle—including toxic chemicals long omitted from packaging labels.

The Pesticide in Your Crisper Drawer

May 2, 2017 ExplainerUnited States, CaliforniaNicole Greenfield

Shown to be toxic to kids, chlorpyrifos is nevertheless still being sprayed on crops across the country—and making its way into our bodies. So why has the EPA refused to ban it?

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.

Will California Say Bye-Bye to the Plastic Bag for Good This Time?

September 23, 2016 DispatchCaliforniaBecca Cudmore

Two ballot initiatives involving the bag ban are on the ballot this November—but one of them is not what it seems.

The Food That Once Saved Condors May Now Be Poisoning Them

August 19, 2016 Latest NewsCaliforniaJason Bittel

A new study finds that condors that dine on the bodies of marine mammals consume worrying levels of toxic chemicals such as DDT.

The Fight Against Flame Retardants

January 18, 2016 NRDC in ActionCaliforniaAlexandra Zissu

Thanks to a long-overdue regulatory update and a new labeling law, shoppers can finally find safer furniture.

The Farmer Who Weeded Out Chemicals

August 12, 2015 DispatchCaliforniaLaura Fraser

Organic farmer Jim Cochran proves that growing nontoxic strawberries isn’t just possible, it’s profitable.

California Issues Precedent Setting Rules to Collect Tons of Additional Mercury from Old Thermostats

May 22, 2013 Expert BlogCaliforniaDavid Lennett

More than 80,000 People Support California's Proposed Standard to Eliminate Toxic Chemicals from Furniture

March 26, 2013 Expert BlogUnited States, CaliforniaVictoria Rome

For (Chinese) New Year: Winds of Change Threaten to Topple the Chemical Industry's House of Cards

February 12, 2013 Expert BlogCaliforniaDaniel Rosenberg

Toxic-Free Fire Safety Coming to California

February 7, 2013 Expert BlogCaliforniaVictoria Rome

Households to Reap Gains from Holding Polluters Accountable

November 19, 2012 Expert BlogCaliforniaAlex Jackson