News & Commentary

Greater Energy Equity Ahead, in both Maryland and Virginia

May 25, 2023 Expert BlogVirginia, Maryland, Richmond (Virginia)Walton Shepherd, Lucy LaFlamme, Dawone Robinson

New state laws in MD and VA will lower spiking electric bills for those least able to afford them, through better-designed home energy efficiency improvements.

A Blueprint for Advanced Industrial Manufacturing in New York

May 23, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, New YorkIan Wells

New York can lead the nation in low-carbon industrial manufacturing. Here is how.

Study Shows 14,000 Unplugged Oil and Gas Wells in Gulf of Mexico

May 23, 2023 Expert BlogTexas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, FloridaRebecca Loomis, Rebecca Ramirez

Industry has neglected thousands of unused oil and gas wells in the Gulf of Mexico. They will cost an estimated $30 billion to plug and decommission.

New Buildings in NY to Be Electric, but the Job Is Not Done

May 22, 2023 Expert BlogNew YorkLauren Urbanek

New York's All-Electric Building Act makes it the first state to promote efficient electrification of new construction.

New York Governments Collaborate to Tackle Environmental Injustice

May 22, 2023 Expert BlogMount Vernon, New YorkSahana Rao

A three-way partnership between the City of Mount Vernon, Westchester County, and the State of New York makes headway towards correcting the city's sewer crisis

President Biden Celebrates Pebble Veto: “The Mine Will Not Be Built.”

May 15, 2023 Expert BlogAlaskaJoel Reynolds

In the Rose Garden celebration of conservation achievements, President Joe Biden elevates the Pebble Mine veto—calling the Bristol Bay fishery "a marvel."

NY Bills to Ban Harmful PFAS Chemicals & Protect Our Health

May 12, 2023 Expert BlogAlbanyKate Donovan

New York shows promise to ban toxic PFAS chemicals from consumer products to protect communities.

Goodbye Verner, Fearless Fighter Against the Pebble Mine

April 19, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, AlaskaJoel Reynolds

Bristol Bay tribal and environmental leader Verner Wilson III personified the next generation of committed opposition in decades-long battle against destructive Bristol Bay mining scheme.  

Army Corps' NY/NJ Storm Surge Barrier Project Must Protect Communities on Their Terms

April 17, 2023 Expert BlogNew York City, New Jersey, New YorkSahana Rao, Isabel Friedman, Anna Weber

The U.S. Army Corps' latest storm surge barrier proposal for New York and New Jersey is still missing meaningful community participation and a comprehensive approach to climate adaptation.

Rate Increases and Blackouts: Duke Energy’s Strategy for 2023

April 6, 2023 Expert BlogNorth Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, EastLuis Martinez

Duke failed to keep the lights on last December, but it is now pursuing enormous rate increases of more than 30 percent to help pay for fossil fuels and huge executive salary raises.

A Trojan Horse That Would Subvert Climate Justice in New York

April 5, 2023 Expert BlogNew YorkChristopher Casey

Senate Bill S6030 is a greenhouse gas accounting boondoggle.

Clean Cars Can Bring Over $145 Billion in Benefits to New York

April 3, 2023 Expert BlogNew YorkYeh-Tang Huang

A new study shows that the Advanced Clean Cars rule can bring over $145 billion in benefits to New York. 

To Lead on Climate, New York State Should Aim High on Clean Industry

March 21, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, New YorkIan Wells

The federal government is rolling out programs to support deployment of emerging technologies that can dramatically reduce emissions from industrial manufacturing. New York should seize the opportunity to clean up its industrial base, attract new industrial investment, and become a…

On International Day of Forests, the Global North Must Show Leadership

March 21, 2023 Expert BlogInternational, Canada, United States, AlaskaElly Pepper, Carolyn Ramírez

On International Day of Forests, the Global North must show leadership on forest protection and acknowledge its own role in forest loss.

Holding Interior to Account on Gulf Oil and Gas Leasing

March 6, 2023 Expert BlogAlabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, TexasIrene Gutierrez

Continuing to extract oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico will have a steep price for the environment and coastal communities in the region. That's why NRDC and our partners took BOEM to court.

Proposed Highway Expansion Will Undercut New York Landmark Climate Law

February 17, 2023 Expert BlogNew YorkMark Izeman, Isabel Friedman

A state proposal to spend $1 billion to expand a 47-mile stretch of Route 17 in Orange and Sullivan Counties runs counter to the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

Alaska’s Tongass National Forest Gets the Protections It Deserves

February 17, 2023 NRDC in ActionAlaskaCourtney Lindwall

After a decades-long fight, the newly reinstated Roadless Rule will safeguard these wildlands from road construction and logging.

In War on Plastic Waste, New York City Council Strikes a Blow

February 17, 2023 Expert BlogNew York, New York CityEric A. Goldstein

New legislation will prevent large volumes of mostly plastic, unrecyclable waste from being generated by take-out food orders in the nation’s largest city.

New Program Will Help Ensure Reliable Electricity in the West

February 16, 2023 Expert BlogCanada, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, WestKelsie Gomanie

The Western Resource Adequacy Program (WRAP) is designed to provide benefits for customers, utilities, and the environment.

Supercharge EmPOWER to Ensure No Marylander Gets Left Behind

February 16, 2023 Expert BlogMarylandDeron Lovaas, Sam Whillans

Creating a low-income energy savings target can ensure that Maryland’s energy efficiency program works toward equity—not against it.