News & Commentary

How Did Farmer Brown Bring His Dying Land Back From the Brink?

September 28, 2018 PerspectivesNorth DakotaJeff Turrentine

By focusing on soil health, this North Dakota rancher didn’t just save the family homestead—he made it flourish.

The Message from Last Week’s Climate Summit Is Clear

September 17, 2018 Expert BlogSan FranciscoRhea Suh

In San Francisco, leaders made unprecedented commitments to fighting global climate change, invigorating the movement, and sending a strong signal to President Trump that, despite his efforts, he won’t stop our progress.

California Legislative Roundup, September 2018

September 12, 2018 Expert BlogCaliforniaVictoria Rome

A Decade on the California Delta

September 12, 2018 DispatchCaliforniaDarcy Eveleigh

Photographer Max Whittaker shows us the many faces of the delta, including its strange and fascinating history and the challenges complicating its future.

This Lawyer Is Fighting to Save Two of the World’s Most Endangered Species

September 10, 2018 NRDC in ActionOregon, CaliforniaNicole Greenfield

Oregon-based NRDC attorney Giulia Good Stefani is living her dream by working to protect orcas off her coast and vaquitas in the Gulf of California.

CA Legislature Passes Two Historic Clean Heating Bills

August 30, 2018 Expert BlogCaliforniaPierre Delforge, Merrian Borgeson

In a timely move in these times of historic wildfires and smoky days, California has taken a big step toward reducing carbon emissions and air pollution from heating and hot water in homes and buildings.

The Paris Agreement’s Next Act, Now in San Francisco

August 14, 2018 NRDC in ActionSan Francisco, CaliforniaNicole Greenfield

NRDC is working to help make the Global Climate Action Summit a success by inspiring more ambitious commitments to the historic 2015 agreement and enhanced pollution-slashing initiatives.

Court: EPA Must Regulate Harmful Runoff Pollution in L.A.

August 13, 2018 Expert BlogLos AngelesBecky Hammer

A federal district court in Los Angeles has ordered the EPA to regulate harmful runoff pollution from commercial, industrial, and institutional sites in two Southern California watersheds.

Poll: Californians Support Clean Heat for Homes

August 8, 2018 Expert BlogCaliforniaMerrian Borgeson

The Warning Lights Are Flashing for California’s Once-Glorious Salton Sea

August 6, 2018 DispatchCaliforniaStarre Vartan

Since this giant salty lake in the desert lost its water supply, its bird habitat has been shrinking and more toxic dust is wafting up from its dry lake bed. Can the Salton Sea be saved?

California Is Getting Tough on Wildlife Crime

August 1, 2018 DispatchCaliforniaCorey Binns

In a new forensics lab, state agents test samples of blood, saliva, tusks, and feathers in a quest to stem the illegal trade in exotic animal parts.

In These Brightly Colored Landscapes, the Sharp Edges of Industry Collide with Nature’s Curves

July 31, 2018 PerspectivesCalifornia, United StatesPatrick Rogers

Judith Belzer’s oil paintings of bridges, dams, canals, and ports both romanticize and question humanity’s efforts to tame our natural systems.

California Hasn’t Come Clean About Its Water Use During the Drought

July 11, 2018 DispatchCaliforniaCorey Binns

Farms drink up a majority of the state’s water supply, but the details are murky. Most of the largest irrigation districts aren’t reporting how much water they delivered to farmers.

Report: CA Ag Water Data Leaks through Mismanagement Cracks

June 18, 2018 Expert BlogCaliforniaArohi Sharma

California’s agricultural water suppliers—also called irrigation districts—are not complying with laws that require them to report on their water use. The lack of accurate water use data from our farms threatens the state’s ability to properly manage those water supplies.

A Commitment to Equity—in the City, the Classroom, and Even the Jungle

June 12, 2018 NRDC in ActionCalifornia, San FranciscoNicole Greenfield

NRDC senior scientist Lara Ettenson is determined to bridge social, economic, and cultural divides by advancing clean energy in California.

California Sets Off on Another Bold Path to Save Energy

June 6, 2018 Expert BlogCaliforniaLara Ettenson

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) unanimously approved the first ever set of business plans developed by administrators that manage the majority of the state’s energy efficiency programs. These plans lay out short-, mid-, and long-term strategies through 2025 to…

Stopping a Dakota Access Pipeline Leak in Under 10 Minutes? A Fairy Tale, Say the Standing Rock Sioux

May 21, 2018 DispatchNorth Dakota, South DakotaSusan Cosier

In a recent report, the tribe picks apart the pipeline company’s emergency response plan.

Cities: Where the Wild Things Are

May 18, 2018 PerspectivesLos Angeles, United StatesJeff Turrentine

Urban wildlife isn’t in our backyard. We’re in its front yard.

Can I Participate in a Class-Action Lawsuit Against Climate Change Inaction?

May 16, 2018 ExplainerUnited States, California

NRDC senior attorney Ben Longstreth explains how plaintiffs for these cases get chosen—and how you can help advance the cause in or out of the courtroom.

In California, a Rallying Cry Against Offshore Oil

May 14, 2018 DispatchCaliforniaCorey Binns

As Californians protest the Trump administration’s intent to expand drilling off the Pacific coast, some city and state officials consider new legislation to block it.