News & Commentary

Newark's Bottled Water Plan Denies Thousands Safe Water

September 20, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, New JerseyErik D. Olson

Newark, New Jersey has a serious lead problem. So why is Newark denying bottled water to tens of thousands of residents who need it?

A Lack of Balance: Runoff and Harmful Algal Blooms

September 9, 2019 Expert BlogCalifornia, Los Angeles, New JerseyCorinne Bell

There’s a lot local agencies and regulators can do to help prevent algae blooms that threaten public health.

How the Food Industry Can Fight Fires in the Amazon

September 5, 2019 Expert BlogInternational, BrazilSujatha Bergen, Jake Schmidt

By diversifying their menus, American companies can drive positive change.

Court Denies At-Risk Residents Bottled Water in Newark

August 30, 2019 Expert BlogNew Jersey, NewarkNRDC

The decision will leave pregnant women and those with young children in the city’s eastern service area at risk for exposure to lead-contaminated tap water.

Latin America Can Be a Climate Leader with Better Land Use

August 21, 2019 Expert BlogBrazil, Chile, Mexico, ColombiaCarolina Herrera

One climate priority where Latin America can and must make critical progress and show leadership is land use.

The Ohio River Defines the Borders of Five States—But Its Pollution Doesn’t Stop at State Lines

August 21, 2019 DispatchPennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, IllinoisSusan Cosier

In a move that could open the door to industrial waste and interstate squabbles, the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission is making its water quality standards voluntary.

Saving a Rare Plant and Rescuing a River

August 1, 2019 DispatchArizonaTim Vanderpool

The fate of southern Arizona’s embattled San Pedro River could hinge on whether the government acts to protect the nearly extinct Arizona eryngo—and in doing so puts the brakes on groundwater pumping that’s draining the landscape.

Inside the Fight for Clean Water in Newark

May 21, 2019 DispatchNewark, New JerseyCourtney Lindwall

Denials and delays from city officials have failed to keep residents safe from high levels of lead in their drinking water. These community organizers are busy picking up the slack.

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.

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.

The Festering Sanitation Crisis at Our Border

December 3, 2018 DispatchArizona, Mexico, CaliforniaTim Vanderpool

As the Trump administration ratchets up its rhetoric demanding billions for a wall, American communities along the Mexico border are in need of basic services, like reliable sewage treatment.

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 Bullfrog Is the “Great White Shark” of Arizona’s Wetlands

August 31, 2018 DispatchArizonaJason Bittel

Conservationists and ranchers are teaming up to drain the swamp (literally) so they can kick these invasive croakers out and save the state’s leopard frogs.

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.

Controversial New Pipelines May Slice Through the Southeast

January 16, 2018 DispatchVirginia, West Virginia, North CarolinaRobynne Boyd

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline—and the Mountain Valley Pipeline, with a similar path—could tear up land and negatively impact people throughout Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina.

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.

Why America’s Wild Turkeys Are Thankful for Cannons (Yes, Cannons)

November 23, 2016 ExplainerUnited States, South Carolina, CharlestonJason Bittel

This is one of our country’s greatest conservation success stories.

What It Looks Like When Street Art Hits the Amazon

November 18, 2016 PerspectivesBrazilClara Chaisson

Portraits projected onto trees show the inseparable identity of the rainforest and its people.