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Aerial view of the National Petroleum Reserve in northwestern Alaska

The Biden Administration Protects Millions of Acres of Arctic Alaska

Latest NewsAlaskaJenny Shalant
The new Special Areas Rule in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska could boost biodiversity and empower Indigenous Peoples to defend the lands they’ve relied on for generations.
Two adults and a child walk along a sandy shoreline

“Forever Chemicals” Called PFAS Show Up in Your Food, Clothes, and Home

ExplainerUnited StatesMolly M. Ginty, Courtney Lindwall
These toxic chemicals are so common in consumer products and manufacturing that they’re everywhere—including inside our bodies.
A river with green trees on either side, with yellow hills in the background

In Planning for Climate Change, Native Americans Draw on the Past

ExplainerUnited States, CanadaTim Vanderpool
Across North America, Indigenous tribes and nations are consulting their traditional ecological knowledge to help prepare for a warming world.

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At Long Last, a Truly Final 2021 Energy Code

Expert BlogInternationalLauren Urbanek
While there will still be significant energy efficiency gains, the most innovative and forward-looking proposals were overturned.

Don’t Forget Buildings in Infrastructure Investment

Expert BlogUnited StatesLauren Urbanek
There’s been a lot of talk recently about the need to invest in America’s infrastructure, and Congress is poised to consider H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act. But what exactly is infrastructure? Most people probably think of it as roads…

The 2021 Energy Code Is Final—and More Efficient than Ever

Expert BlogLauren Urbanek
The final results of the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) were released this week, and it’s official: we have a new building energy code that is the most efficient one yet. This could lead to significant energy savings for…

NRDC Defends Against Attacks on Hard-Won Efficiency Standard

Expert BlogUnited StatesLauren Urbanek

NRDC moved to intervene in a lawsuit seeking to undo the improved regulations for commercial packaged boilers. The energy savings threatened by the lawsuit are significant because boilers heat a quarter of the nation’s commercial space, including schools and multi-family…

Improved Building Energy Model Code Challenged

Expert BlogLauren Urbanek
Better building codes mean lower energy bills, which results in lower costs for consumers and fewer carbon emissions for the planet. Sounds like a winning combination, right? Unfortunately, opponents are now trying to reverse that progress.

New DOE Policy Kneecaps Energy Efficiency Standards

Expert BlogLauren Urbanek
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) just announced it has finalized changes to its energy efficiency standards process that will slow down—if not halt altogether—future efforts to make America’s appliances and equipment more efficient. As a result, both the planet…