News & Commentary

Holding Interior to Account on Gulf Oil and Gas Leasing

March 6, 2023 Expert BlogAlabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, TexasIrene Gutierrez

Continuing to extract oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico will have a steep price for the environment and coastal communities in the region. That's why NRDC and our partners took BOEM to court.

Cover Crops for Every Climate

February 17, 2023 Expert BlogWest, Midwest, East, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Idaho, New Mexico, TexasLara Bryant, Dr. Daniel Rath

Cover crops are adaptable, valuable, and effective enough that farmers can benefit from them in every region of the United States—even cold or dry areas.

Reharvest Memphis: How to Host a Low-Waste High-Impact Event

February 8, 2023 Expert BlogTennessee, MemphisDarby Hoover

Prioritizing grant applications from underserved communities is only one piece of the puzzle. What about the communities who are unable to apply at all?

It’s Time to Transition Away from Offshore Oil Leasing

October 6, 2022 Expert BlogAlaska, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, FloridaIrene Gutierrez

The Heat Was On and Our Power Grid Held: But Will It Next Time?

October 4, 2022 Expert BlogCalifornia, TexasChristy Walsh

It wasn’t easy, but the U.S. power grid defied record-breaking heatwaves and doomsday warnings to survive the summer without major service interruptions.

Solar Helps Keep the ACs Humming in Texas

July 21, 2022 Expert BlogTexasJohn Moore

In a month that has seen Texas sizzle under record-breaking heat, solar, and wind power have been key to helping keeping the lights on—and air conditioners humming.

Solving Problems—Not Pointing Fingers—in Texas

July 13, 2022 Expert BlogTexasChristy Walsh

Blaming any one power source is a mistake. We can’t make any one source of power foolproof, but we can make a grid that’s nimble, resilient, and reliable.

Lithium Mining Must Not Dry Up the Atacama Desert

May 12, 2022 Expert BlogChileAmanda Maxwell, James Blair

Our report offers eight recommendations for communities, governments, and the private sector throughout the lithium-ion battery supply chain to avoid further damage to this unique area and the people who live there.

Lithium Mining Is Leaving Chile’s Indigenous Communities High and Dry (Literally)

April 26, 2022 DispatchChileNicole Greenfield

As the metal fuels the clean tech boom, companies race to mine the Atacama Region. At stake: fragile ecosystems, scarce water resources, and ancient ways of life.

The Texas Storm That Proved the Need for Grid Investments

February 9, 2022 Expert BlogTexas, United StatesChristy Walsh

It has been a year since Winter Storm Uri left millions of people without power. The United States cannot wait any longer to invest in its aging transmission system.

Iowa Group Protects Bee Habitat Amid ESA Battle

February 9, 2022 Expert BlogIowa, MidwestLucas Rhoads

While NRDC and our partners are in court fighting to win habitat protections for the endangered rusty patched bumble bee, the Bur Oak Land Trust is also taking matters into its own hands.

For Thousands of Years, Indigenous Tribes Have Been Planting for the Future

November 30, 2021 DispatchIowa, Canada, Pennsylvania, OklahomaSusan Cosier

With yields of biodiversity and a more climate-resilient food supply, a movement is sprouting in BIPOC communities across North America to save heirloom seeds and preserve culture.

How to Stop a Highway

November 19, 2021 DispatchHouston, Texas, United StatesTim Vanderpool

Houston activists fuel a growing movement to increasingly center environmental justice in infrastructure and protect urban neighborhoods from endlessly expanding road projects.

Despite Climate Dangers, Offshore Leasing Continues in Gulf

November 17, 2021 Expert BlogUnited States, Louisiana, Florida, Texas, Mississippi, AlabamaValerie Cleland, Lauren Kubiak

This morning, the Biden administration held the largest offshore oil and gas lease sale in U.S. history. Though the Biden administration has been bold on climate in other ways, this latest action is profoundly disappointing.

From Memphis to the White House, This Advocate Is Confronting Redlining and Environmental Injustice

October 25, 2021 DispatchMemphis, FlintShelia Hu

LaTricea Adams, who founded Black Millennials for Flint, is now pushing the Biden administration to remediate the impacts of our country’s historically racist policies.

Through a Solar Transformation, a Former Landfill Is Poised to Become a Community Lifeline

September 28, 2021 DispatchHoustonMaudlyne Ihejirika

In Sunnyside, Houston—a neighborhood that recently registered the city’s highest unemployment rate—residents are preparing for an influx of jobs to come from the Sunnyside Energy Community Solar project.

Despite Climate Red Alert, Interior Moves on Gulf Lease Sale

September 10, 2021 Expert BlogUnited States, Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, TennesseeLauren Kubiak, Valerie Cleland

Continuing to offer more offshore oil lease sales is not the path to meeting the Biden Administration’s climate goals.

Celebrating Year One of the Food Matters Regional Initiative

August 30, 2021 Expert BlogChicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Madison, Ohio, Baltimore, Jersey City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, North Carolina, Memphis, OrlandoMadeline Keating, Darby Hoover

A year after the launch of the Food Matters Regional Initiative, we are pleased to report considerable progress and accomplishments from the 15 regional initiative participants.

The South’s Clean Energy Disruption

August 17, 2021 DispatchFlorida, Texas, MemphisRobynne Boyd

The region’s heritage of fossil fuels falters as clean energy rises in its place.

Communities to Coal Plants: Clean Up Your Mess Before You Go!

July 29, 2021 DispatchTennesseeAustyn Gaffney

Distrust in the TVA runs deep in eastern Tennessee, and as the utility shutters two power plants—Bull Run and Kingston—local activists fear it will close up shop without safely containing its leaky pits of toxic sludge and ash.