News & Commentary

Why the Willow Project Is a Bad Idea

November 13, 2023 Latest NewsAlaskaJeff Turrentine

The oil drilling proposal would be disastrous for Alaska and the planet (not to mention President Biden’s climate legacy). 

Meet Deb Haaland

March 15, 2021 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

Biden's pick to lead the Interior Department is the first Native American to run a Cabinet-level agency. And this agency, in particular, needs someone like Haaland to run it.

Deb Haaland Is the Interior Secretary Our Country Needs

February 22, 2021 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

The fact that senators tied to the fossil fuel industry are opposing her nomination is a big clue as to why.

With His “Climate Day” Orders, Biden Moves to Protect the Country—Its People, Lands and Waters, and Science

January 27, 2021 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

National security, environmental justice, scientific integrity, and the economy are just a few issues covered by the president’s sweeping climate strategy.

What Biden Should Get Done on Day One (or Close to It)

January 20, 2021 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

Our next president could address many pressing environmental and public health issues right away—some with just a stroke of the executive pen.

The Overlooked Importance of Penguin Poop, Fulmar Feces, and Gull Guano

September 17, 2020 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

Seabird droppings don’t just help us fertilize crops; their waste affects everything from coral reefs to climate.

Climate Change Is Drying Out the American West

June 4, 2020 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

A new study shows that drought is no longer a periodic crisis, but a harbinger of things to come.

Shrinking Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante: Trump’s Monumental Mistake

February 14, 2020 Latest NewsUtahJeff Turrentine

Opening up hallowed ground to oil and gas development is quite literally an act of desecration.

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.

Jair Bolsonaro to a Horrified World Community: “The Amazon Is Brazil’s, Not Yours”

August 30, 2019 Latest NewsInternationalJeff Turrentine

The fires are no accident. They were ignited by Brazilian ranchers who felt emboldened by their pro-deforestation president.

Our Land Is Key to Solving the Climate Crisis

August 9, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

Food insecurity, biodiversity collapse, and skyrocketing global temps loom. But a new U.N. report says we have the tools to fix it.

Congress Has Been Treating Our National Parks and Waters Funding Like a Piggy Bank for Decades

July 2, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

The 55-year-old Land and Water Conservation Fund needs to be kept safe from lawmakers who suddenly find themselves strapped for cash.

U.N. Report: A Million Extinctions and Ecological Collapse Are on the Way

May 13, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

We got ourselves into this mess. It’s high time we got ourselves out of it.

Army Corps Releases a Slapdash Environmental Review of Alaska’s Pebble Mine

March 1, 2019 Latest NewsAlaskaCourtney Lindwall

But the proposed gold and copper mine’s catastrophic threats to the waterways, salmon, and people of Bristol Bay haven’t changed.

Trump’s Shutdown Is a Snowball Rolling Over the Systems That Protect Americans

January 18, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

And every extra day it lasts, the deleterious effects on our national parks, food inspections, and toxic waste cleanups grow bigger (and more difficult to stop).

The Farm Bill Is Chock-Full of Anti-environment Policy Riders

June 28, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

Here are the seven big ones that the Senate should fight.

Win! Court Pulls Key Permit for Massive (and Dirty) Atlantic Coast Pipeline

May 21, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

Here’s why we’re celebrating.

Public Outcry May Have Saved National Parks from Zinke’s Dramatic Fee Hikes

April 5, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

Americans remind the Interior secretary that this land is our land (and we should be able to afford visiting it).

9 Environmental Wins in the Final Spending Bill

March 26, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

For now at least, Congress is still working to protect our environment and health.

The Sordid Backstory Behind the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Decisions

March 9, 2018 Latest NewsUtahJeff Turrentine

A lawsuit forced Ryan Zinke’s Interior Department to disclose files relating to the shrinking of national monuments. It’s easy to see why he wanted them to stay hidden.