News & Commentary

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.

Climate Change Sank My Battleship?

July 31, 2019 DispatchNorth CarolinaJodi Helmer

The USS North Carolina survived World War II, but now its captain’s mission is to protect it from storm surges and sea level rise.

Fishing in Warming Seas, North Carolinians Trek North to Reel in Their Catch

June 3, 2019 DispatchNorth CarolinaJodi Helmer

As climate change sends fisheries into flux, managers must keep up with the latest science to sustain them.

After Children Began Getting Sick by the Dozens, Parents Took a Hard Look at Their Town’s Toxic Legacy

May 30, 2019 DispatchIndiana, Massachusetts, North CarolinaSusan Cosier

The carcinogen TCE has been lurking in the ground beneath Franklin, Indiana, for decades. Now families are demanding answers.

A Journey Through the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

March 22, 2019 DispatchArctic, AlaskaClara Chaisson

One of the world’s last pristine wild places is on the front lines of climate change—and threatened by fossil fuel development. These photos speak to why we must fight both.

Army Corps Releases a Slapdash Environmental Review of Alaska’s Pebble Mine

March 1, 2019 Latest NewsAlaskaCourtney Lindwall

But the proposed gold and copper mine’s catastrophic threats to the waterways, salmon, and people of Bristol Bay haven’t changed.

The Carolinas Face a Climate Trifecta: Floods, Fire, and Heat

January 28, 2019 DispatchNorth Carolina, South CarolinaRobynne Boyd

The National Climate Assessment’s outlook for the two coastal states is daunting, but local leaders are starting to dig in for a fight.

Hundreds of Workers Who Cleaned Up the Country’s Worst Coal Ash Spill Are Now Sick and Dying

December 17, 2018 DispatchTennesseeAustyn Gaffney

Ten years after the disaster at a Tennessee power plant, the cleanup crew is seeking justice. At the same time, the Trump administration is weakening protections for this toxic pollution.

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.

These Alaska Residents Are Watching Their Hometowns Slide Into Rising Waters

October 29, 2018 DispatchAlaskaAlisa Opar

At least 31 villages now face imminent threats from climate change and may have to relocate, at a cost of as much as $200 million each.

Hurricane-Flooded Hog Farms Could Bring Superbugs to North Carolina Communities

October 23, 2018 DispatchNorth CarolinaJodi Helmer

Add antibiotic-resistant bacteria from pig waste to the long list of post-Florence worries.

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.

North Carolina Sees Energy Potential in Pig Poop

July 2, 2018 DispatchNorth CarolinaJodi Helmer

But it may not be the solution local communities need to escape the stench and swill of the pork industry.

The South Is Warming Up to Solar

May 11, 2018 DispatchGeorgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, MississippiRobynne Boyd

In the past five years, solar capacity in the South has increased nearly thirtyfold.

When a Study Singled Out Memphis’s Unfairly High Power Bills, Grassroots Groups Took Action

March 19, 2018 DispatchMemphis, TennesseeRobynne Boyd

Residents of the southern city spend twice as much as the average American on power. Why? It’s complicated.

Alaska's Previously Defeated Pebble Mine Project Has a New Investor

February 23, 2018 Latest NewsAlaskaCourtney Lindwall

The proposed mine, resurrected by EPA administrator Scott Pruitt last year, now has financial backing from Canada's First Quantum Minerals.

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.

Drilling for Tax Cuts: The Devastating Alaska Provision

December 8, 2017 Latest NewsAlaskaJeff Turrentine

Most Americans, including many congressional Republicans, are strongly opposed to oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. So why is it attached to the tax bill?

This Thanksgiving, Nashville Saves Food and Feeds the Hungry

November 16, 2017 DispatchNashville, TennesseeRobynne Boyd

In Music City, restaurateurs, grocers, farmers, volunteers, the mayor, and NRDC's Nashville Food Waste Initiative are harmonizing in the fight against wasted food.

The Fight to Keep Oil and Gas Rigs Out of Our Waters. For Good.

October 3, 2017 NRDC in ActionAlaska, Florida, California, Washington, United StatesMelissa Denchak

NRDC played a key role in banning offshore drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic. Once again, it’s fighting to protect those oceans—and the rest of America’s waters.