News & Commentary

Dominion’s Rising Cost to Virginia's Economy and Environment

September 7, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, VirginiaWalton Shepherd

Observers in the energy regulatory world were shocked last week at the finding of a staggering $277 million in overcollections by Dominion, the state’s largest regulated monopoly.

Energy Efficiency Boosts Prospects of Low-Income Marylanders

August 19, 2019 Expert BlogMaryland, BaltimoreDeron Lovaas

There has been considerable attention from national pundits and political operatives pointing at Baltimore as a city that has not reached its full potential. While they fixate on problems, Energy Efficiency for All teammates write about a helpful solution in…

Survey Looks at Food Donation Client Experience

August 15, 2019 Expert BlogMaryland, BaltimoreMargaret Brown, JoAnne Berkenkamp

Dear Mr. Trump: Don’t Retraumatize Our Communities

August 14, 2019 Expert BlogBaltimore, MarylandStephanie Gidigbi Jenkins

Trump’s comments about Baltimore being dangerous and rat-infested hurts—not just the people of West Baltimore and other neighborhoods like it—but all of us who want a better, healthier, more sustainable and equitable future.

Cities Fight to Keep Courts Open for Claims Against Big Oil

August 1, 2019 Expert BlogCalifornia, Baltimore, Rhode IslandDavid Hawkins, Pete Huffman

Federal appeals courts will soon hear important cases brought by municipal governments grappling with the mounting costs of climate change.

Factory Butte Should Stay Off-Limits to Off-Roading

August 1, 2019 Expert BlogUtahJosh Axelrod

NRDC and the Southern Utah Wilderness Association are suing the BLM for ignoring the environmental harms of off-road vehicle use around the iconic Utah landmark.

Bears Ears: A Monument in Name Only

July 26, 2019 Expert BlogUtahBobby McEnaney

This newest management plan released by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) spells out how the remaining 200,000 acres of the monument will be governed. The changes are so sweeping, what currently is known…

Mining Oil Shale Would Be Disastrous to Utah’s Rivers, Climate, and Public Health—but the Trump Administration Wants to Do It Anyway

June 21, 2019 DispatchUtahStarre Vartan

NRDC and other environmental and public health groups are suing to stop an extraction project (the first of its kind in the United States) proposed by the Estonian company Enefit.

Justice Warrior on the Affordable Energy Front

June 12, 2019 NRDC in ActionVirginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New YorkKaren L. Smith-Janssen

Dawone Robinson is righting the inequities that low-income communities of color face in accessing the benefits of energy efficiency—like more comfortable homes and lower energy bills, for starters.

Offshore Oil Revenue Is a Damaging Deal for Virginia

May 23, 2019 Expert BlogVirginiaJacob Eisenberg

If offshore drilling were expanded as the Trump administration intends, coastal communities, economies, and ecosystems would all suffer. And revenue sharing is not worth those damages.

Call on Virginia's Governor Now to Protect Climate Action

April 19, 2019 Expert BlogVirginiaWalton Shepherd

Virginia just advanced a groundbreaking climate action plan—but pro-polluters are trying to block it.

Alton Coal Lawsuit: Saving America’s Best Idea from the World’s Worst Idea

April 16, 2019 Expert BlogUtahAnn Alexander

A Utah federal District Court has opened the door for the Biden administration to finally halt the Alton Coal Mine expansion—following a decade-long legal fight to protect public lands near Bryce Canyon National Park.

The Desire to Stop Canadian Tar Sands Transcends Borders

January 10, 2019 NRDC in ActionAlberta, Canada, Nebraska, Chicago, IllinoisNicole Greenfield

For more than a decade, NRDC has worked with indigenous communities in Alberta, U.S.-based grassroots groups, and intergovernmental bodies to halt the expansion of dirty tar sands oil.

Baltimore Is Poised to Put a Major Dent in Its Food Waste Stream

December 13, 2018 DispatchBaltimore, MarylandNicole Greenfield

The city has developed a bold new food waste management and recovery strategy to protect residents from harmful air pollution, boost its economy, and help feed those most in need.

In Utah, Industry Pounces on What Were, Not Long Ago, Our Public Lands

October 10, 2018 DispatchUtahStarre Vartan

Cobalt mining and other interests lay claim to Grand Staircase–Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments, rankling local communities tied to these lands.

Drilling Off VA Coast: An Invitation for Climate Havoc

September 20, 2018 Expert BlogVirginiaFranz Matzner

The public is keenly aware that auctioning off public ocean waters to oil giants is not in the national interest. From catastrophic spills like the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster that oiled the entire Gulf region, to “minor” spills and almost…

Virginians Fly Flags of Resistance in the Fight Against Two Pipelines

August 17, 2018 PerspectivesVirginiaPatrick Rogers

Armed with 1,000 blue pennants—one for each waterway put at risk by the Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast Pipelines—communities are taking up their battle stations.

Northam Brings Virginia's Energy Future into Sharper Focus

August 10, 2018 Expert BlogVirginiaWalton Shepherd

While the Trump administration puts the nation in reverse on cleaning up vehicle pollution, Governor Ralph Northam put the Commonwealth on the road to cleaner energy in announcing yesterday a $14 million investment in electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across…

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.

6 Ways the Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast Pipelines Would Be Bad for Virginia

February 28, 2018 Latest NewsVirginiaCourtney Lindwall

A new report outlines exactly how the two proposed gas pipelines would threaten the state's waterways and reservoirs.