News & Commentary

Pebble Mine Owner Expects Billions in Public Funding, Bail-Out

October 30, 2020 Expert BlogAlaskaJoel Reynolds

Latest “Pebble Tapes” document Canadian mining company’s plans for $1.5 billion subsidy from Alaskans for infrastructure costs and, if project is stopped, expects claim against U.S. Treasury for $700-800 billion in compensation.

Pebble Mine: Open Letter to Cantor Fitzgerald

October 6, 2020 Expert BlogAlaskaJoel Reynolds

Bristol Bay leaders urge lead underwriter for Northern Dynasty Minerals to cut ties, cease raising funds for widely condemned open pit copper and gold mine that risks world’s greatest wild salmon fishery and communities that it sustains in Bristol Bay…

Katrina, Climate, and Justice: A Future in Foreshadow?

August 28, 2020 PerspectivesNew Orleans, LouisianaZaria Howell

After Hurricane Laura hit Louisiana just days before the Katrina remembrance, photojournalism from 15 years ago reminds us that disaster preparation isn’t just about wind and water.

Defender of Housing Justice

August 25, 2020 NRDC in ActionNew Orleans, United States, LouisianaJenny Shalant

Energy efficiency and social safety net advocate Khalil Shahyd explains why supporting affordable housing is intrinsic to the climate fight.

Connector of the Gulf South, 15 Years and Counting

August 24, 2020 DispatchNew Orleans, LouisianaKaren L. Smith-Janssen

Colette Pichon Battle is getting the conversation going—and the preparations moving—for Black and Indigenous communities of Louisiana who are still healing from Hurricane Katrina, even as they stand on the frontlines of climate change.

Pebble Mine: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

August 4, 2020 Expert BlogAlaskaJoel Reynolds

Following Army Corps of Engineers’ release of Pebble’s flawed final environmental impact statement, opposition digs in, Alaskan coalition urges EPA veto, House votes to cut off funding for permitting, Senators Manchin and Cantwell speak out, and Northern Dynasty’s share value…

House Votes—Again—to Suspend Pebble Mine Funding

July 30, 2020 Expert BlogAlaska, United StatesTaryn Kiekow Heimer

The U.S. House of Representatives passed an appropriations minibus package that includes an amendment barring funding to issue a permit for the Pebble Mine.

Trump Administration Ignores Pebble Mine’s Dangers to Alaska

July 23, 2020 Expert BlogAlaskaTaryn Kiekow Heimer

Army Corps issues recklessly rushed and fatally flawed environmental review of the Pebble Mine.

Pebble Mine, Tom Collier, and 12.5 Million Pieces of Silver

July 16, 2020 Expert BlogAlaskaJoel Reynolds

Showing it “doesn’t give a rat’s ass what happens in Alaska,” the Army Corps of Engineers is expected this month to issue its fatally flawed EIS for the reckless Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, ignoring overwhelming opposition in Alaska but…

“Stop Pebble Mine” Coalition Gets the Word Out

July 14, 2020 Expert BlogAlaskaTaryn Kiekow Heimer

The ad is part of a Stop Pebble Mine media campaign developed by Bristol Bay Tribes, Alaskan business leaders, commercial fishermen, and community and nonprofit organizations dedicated to protecting Bristol Bay from the imminent threat of the proposed Pebble Mine.

Like a Zombie, Reckless Pebble Mine Terrorizes Bristol Bay

July 13, 2020 Expert BlogAlaskaJoel Reynolds

Widely considered dead, massive mining scheme proposed for Bristol Bay headwaters by underfunded Canadian company is likely to be permitted this summer by Army Corps of Engineers despite unsolved technical, financial, and environmental flaws, deep opposition in Alaska, and blatant…

62% of Alaskans Oppose the Pebble Mine, New Poll Shows

July 10, 2020 Expert BlogAlaskaTaryn Kiekow Heimer

Most Alaskans do not support the Pebble Mine, as a new poll released by the Bristol Bay Defense Fund shows. The survey’s findings are one more piece of bad news for Pebble and its embattled owner Northern Dynasty Minerals.

Morgan Stanley Dumps the Pebble Mine, Northern Dynasty

June 22, 2020 Expert BlogAlaskaJoel Reynolds

Multinational investment banking and financial services firm reports over 99 percent reduction in shares of Northern Dynasty Minerals, sole owner of widely condemned Bristol Bay mining scheme.

As Sea Level Rise Threatens Their Ancestral Village, a Louisiana Tribe Fights to Stay Put

April 13, 2020 DispatchLouisianaBarry Yeoman

They survived the BP oil disaster, Hurricane Katrina, and decades of industry spoiling their wetlands. Whatever their future holds, the people of Grand Bayou want to decide it for themselves.

The Mother Who Became a Voice for the Gulf

April 6, 2020 DispatchLouisianaNicole Greenfield

After the Deepwater Horizon disaster, Kindra Arnesen went to the mat to help heal and protect her southeastern Louisiana community and the fishery it relies on. Ten years later, she’s still fighting.

Think You Know What Water Looks Like? Take a Look at This.

December 5, 2019 PerspectivesArcticAlisa Opar

Photographer Roger Fishman goes airborne to capture a unique perspective on rapidly changing Arctic landscapes.

Another Forest, This Time Alaska’s Tongass, May Be Destroyed—All for Profit

October 15, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, AlaskaNRDC

On October 28, 2020, the Trump administration announced it will open the state’s pristine old-growth rainforest—the largest in the United States—to the logging industry.

Pebble Mine: Conservation Groups Sue Trump Administration

October 9, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, AlaskaTaryn Kiekow Heimer

Trump administration violated the law by reversing proposed protections for Bristol Bay, Alaska.

The People of the Isle de Jean Charles Are Louisiana’s First Climate Refugees—but They Won’t Be the Last

September 23, 2019 DispatchLouisianaRobynne Boyd

Whether and how to uproot communities are difficult and painful questions, and we need to get better at answering them.

Arctic Refuge Is Top Priority as Congress Returns

September 9, 2019 Expert BlogArcticNora Apter

In its first days back from recess, Congress will vote on H.R. 1146 to prevent destructive oil and gas development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The floor vote comes at a pivotal point: The Trump administration is expected to…