News & Commentary

Pennsylvania's Gas Power Problem, Part 1: The Build-Out

May 10, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, PennsylvaniaMark Szybist

For most of the last decade, the biggest energy story in Pennsylvania has been fracking—the use of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling to extract shale gas—and the dramatic increase in gas production that fracking has driven.

Newark’s Lead Crisis Continues: Even Higher Levels in 2019

April 30, 2019 Expert BlogNewarkErik D. Olson

The first few months of 2019 have brought disturbing news for Newark residents—skyrocketing levels of lead in drinking water. Since the start of the year, more than 10 percent of Newark’s reported drinking water samples have exceeded 66.9 parts per…

Industry Surrounds Newark’s Ironbound Neighborhood—But These Residents Won’t Let It Define Them

April 1, 2019 DispatchNewark, New JerseyCaroline Craig

The tireless efforts of locals are reshaping one of New Jersey’s most polluted areas.

Ohio Gains Ground on a Hidden Hazard: More Than a Century’s Worth of Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells

March 26, 2019 DispatchOhioAustyn Gaffney

Forgotten, derelict, and often leaky, these so-called orphan wells could number in the thousands.

Ohio Communities Are Becoming a Dumping Ground for the Fracking Industry

December 3, 2018 DispatchOhioAustyn Gaffney

Earthquakes, spills, and groundwater contamination—wastewater wells come with many risks and few rewards for Trumbull County residents.

Laurie Goodrich Tracks Raptors by the Thousands From a Lookout in the Appalachians

November 13, 2018 DispatchPennsylvaniaKeith Mulvihill

This wildlife biologist has seen some surprising trends while counting birds of prey on Pennsylvania’s Hawk Mountain over the past 30 years.

This Exhibit Examines Nature and Environmental Justice in Three Centuries of American Art

October 30, 2018 PerspectivesUnited States, New JerseyPatrick Rogers

Princeton is displaying iconic paintings, photography, and furniture in a new light (and it’s not always flattering).

The Forecast for Jobs in Appalachian Ohio Looks Sunny and Bright

July 25, 2018 DispatchOhioAustyn Gaffney

A 400-megawatt solar farm could make this region a hub for clean power and big companies looking to cut carbon.

These New Jerseyans Want to Bring “Bomb Trains” to a Halt

July 23, 2018 DispatchNew JerseyNicole Greenfield

Trains carrying combustible crude oil barrel on rickety rails through the Garden State, threatening the safety of millions of people—and their drinking water—every single day.

Locations of High Lead Levels in Newark’s Water Identified

May 23, 2018 Expert BlogNewarkSara Imperiale, Claire Woods

The State has estimated that there are approximately 22,100 homes in Newark with lead service lines.

Following Spills, Ohio Wants to Reroute the Rover Pipeline but Lacks the Muscle

February 26, 2018 DispatchOhioSusan Cosier

High-profile disasters on the controversial pipeline prompted the feds to temporarily halt construction, but the state demands a more permanent solution.

Can the Great Lakes Become Fishable, Drinkable, and Swimmable Again?

January 29, 2018 DispatchMidwest, Canada, Ohio, IllinoisSusan Cosier

A joint United States–Canada report maps out the way to clean up the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem

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.

For the Delaware River Basin, a Partial Fracking Ban Is a Partial Victory

January 11, 2018 DispatchDelaware, New York, Pennsylvania

Proposed regulations would still allow wastewater to be disposed of in the watershed, with risks to both drinking water and the environment.

In Philadelphia, Climate Change Can Take Your Breath Away

July 11, 2017 DispatchPhiladelphiaClara Chaisson

But plans to cut local carbon pollution might help this asthma capital shake its wheezy reputation.

Why We Need the EPA

February 14, 2017 ExplainerPuerto Rico, New York City, United States, ClevelandBrian Palmer

Let’s not forget what America looked like before we had the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Our rivers caught on fire, our air was full of smog, and it stank (literally).

Before Flint, Before East Chicago, There Was Smeltertown

November 29, 2016 DispatchFlint, Indiana, Texas, NewarkLauren Villagran

After a 1970s CDC study showed that the mostly Mexican-American population of this Texas town had dangerously high blood lead levels, its buildings were demolished and its residents were booted.

Ohio Legislators Are Trying to Undo The State’s Clean Energy Plan

September 23, 2016 Latest NewsOhioJeff Turrentine

Ohio citizens shouldn’t let them get away with it.

Reducing the Nuclear Threat

May 18, 2016 NRDC in ActionPennsylvaniaMelissa Denchak

Since the 1970s, NRDC has been fighting to protect the earth—and its citizens—from the serious risks that come with nuclear power.

Going Deep to Save Our Ocean Treasures

April 27, 2016 NRDC in ActionNew York, New JerseyLora Shinn

How NRDC helped form an unlikely alliance to help protect 38,000 square miles of unique habitat in the Atlantic.