News & Commentary

Life in the Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands

May 8, 2020 Expert BlogTexas, New MexicoJessica Carey-Webb

90 percent of the grassland bird species that breed on the Great Plains in the United States and Canada winter in the grasslands of the Chihuahuan Desert, which encompasses the northwestern region of Mexico, spreading into the states of Arizona…

When Art Captures the Wind and the Rain—and a Bit of Ourselves

March 16, 2020 PerspectivesConnecticutPatrick Rogers

“Weather Report” fills a Connecticut museum with the works of 25 artists who explore what’s happening in the atmosphere and, inextricably, to us.

San Antonio Finds the Key to Flood Control in Its Gardens

December 23, 2019 DispatchSan Antonio, TexasAnne N. Connor

As climate change brings heavier rains, local officials and developers are managing the deluge of stormwater runoff with some low-tech—and pretty—solutions.

The Biggest Pennsylvania Energy Stories of 2019, Part III

December 23, 2019 Expert BlogPennsylvaniaMark Szybist

Governor Wolf Says Pennsylvania Will Join RGGI. Now What?

October 11, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, PennsylvaniaMark Szybist

Governor Wolf wants Pennsylvania to participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and that's a big deal.

Pennsylvania to Join Regional Effort to Slash Climate-Damaging Power Plant Pollution

October 3, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, PennsylvaniaNRDC

Turning away from its fossil fuel past, the Keystone State is preparing to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative—a significant win for our climate and public health.

Blueprint of a Buyout: Harris County, Texas

September 17, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, TexasAnna Weber

Harris County’s program may be a harbinger of the future, when Americans are displaced by flooding and frustrated by the uncertainties of relocation assistance.

Showing Migrating Monarch Butterflies Some Southern Hospitality

August 26, 2019 DispatchMexico, Texas, HoustonRobynne Boyd

Non-native tropical milkweed fuels monarchs on their journey through southern states, but when cooler weather hits, the plant can bring parasites and starvation. Here’s what butterfly-loving southerners can do.

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.

PA Needs CO2 Limits—and Strong Renewables Policy, Too

August 8, 2019 Expert BlogPennsylvaniaMark Szybist, Amanda Levin

New modeling shows that Pennsylvania can remain a large electricity exporter while building a better, cleaner, and stronger economy.

New Report: Climate Change Harms Pennsylvanians’ Health

August 1, 2019 Expert BlogPennsylvaniaJuanita Constible, Mark Szybist

State and federal leaders must move quickly to help Pennsylvania residents stay healthy, productive, and safe in the face of current and future climate risks.

As Temperatures Soar in India, One City’s Efforts Are Saving Lives

July 23, 2019 NRDC in ActionAhmedabad, Hyderabad, New Delhi, IndiaNicole Greenfield

The western city of Ahmedabad is preparing residents to cope with the longer and more intense heat waves sweeping across South Asia—and inspiring other Indian cities and states to follow suit.

How Austin Plans to Grow—Without Adding More Cars to Its Roads

July 17, 2019 DispatchAustin, TexasMike Clark-Madison

By tackling transit, ride sharing, and more, the Texas capital hopes to embrace its big-city identity.

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.

These Texans Are Sick of Chemical Fires and Toxic Spills in Their Backyard

June 11, 2019 DispatchTexasTim Vanderpool

A community along the Houston Ship Channel ramps up its fight against heavy industry and lax oversight after another petrochemical factory blaze closes local schools and causes a spike in respiratory illness.

American Cities Climate Challenge PACE Roundtable in NYC

June 5, 2019 Expert BlogGeorgia, Atlanta, Ohio, Columbus, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Texas, San AntonioPhilip Smith

Riding a strong tailwind from recent climate and sustainability legislative successes, earlier this month, the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge brought its PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) Financing Cohort to New York for an intensive, dialogue-driven Roundtable with the four…

The Student Activist Fighting Pittsburgh’s Dirty Industry

May 23, 2019 DispatchPittsburghCourtney Lindwall

Anaïs Peterson is busy organizing, educating, and ushering in a new era of environmentalism in the Steel City.

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.

You Can’t Stop the Wind. But These Folks Are Trying Anyway.

April 19, 2019 Latest NewsTexasJeff Turrentine

In Texas, tax breaks for fossil fuels outpace tax breaks for renewables by a rate of two to one. Guess which sector is whining about unfairness?

Wind and Solar Are the Final Nails in Coal’s Coffin

January 11, 2019 Latest NewsTexasJeff Turrentine

If you want to know where coal is headed, look no farther than Texas—where this dirty fuel is in its death throes.