News & Commentary

This Is What a Just Transition Looks Like

March 2, 2020 ExplainerUnited States, Peoria, IllinoisBrian Palmer

To help a community leave its dirty energy economy behind, advocates must fight for local representation, equity, and retraining that prepares workers for high-quality jobs.

Toxic “Forever Chemicals” Came Between This Farmer, His Cows, and the Air Force

February 19, 2020 DispatchNew MexicoTim Vanderpool

The PFAS-laden firefighting foam used in training exercises at military bases easily slips into groundwater supplies, tainting everything around it.

A Garden Grows in Newark—and a Community Grows Around It

February 7, 2020 DispatchNewarkJeff Turrentine

How an urban farm became an anchor for the city’s South Ward.

The Trump Administration Wants to Set Water Safety Back 50 Years

January 31, 2020 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

With their latest rollback, the president and the EPA chief show that they either don’t understand how water pollution works—or simply don’t care.

Australia Is Burning. Jakarta Is Drowning. Welcome to 2020.

January 10, 2020 Latest NewsInternationalJeff Turrentine

The planet is sending us an unmistakable signal that we need to wake up and take real action to combat the climate crisis. And this is the decade we need to do it.

A Fearless Defender for Our Future

January 6, 2020 NRDC in ActionBoston, Washington, D.C., United StatesJeff Turrentine

President and CEO Gina McCarthy started out as a public health agent in small-town Massachusetts, rose to become head of the EPA under Obama, and now guides NRDC into its next chapter.

Farmers and Salmon Advocates Agree: It’s Time to Talk about the Snake River Dams

January 2, 2020 DispatchWashington, OregonJodi Helmer

What used to be an idea touted mainly by salmon fishers and environmentalists is bringing around some farmers who’ve long depended on barge shipping to get their crops to market.

A Roadmap for Frontline Communities

December 15, 2019 NRDC in ActionWashington, D.C., United StatesJeff Turrentine

To address the growing climate impacts on low-income people and communities of color, NRDC signed on to a historic platform that seeks to create a future that benefits all.

Why the EPA Needs Another William Ruckelshaus (1932–2019)

December 13, 2019 PerspectivesUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

The agency’s first administrator built the EPA from scratch—and established the nonpartisan, antipolluter culture that the Trump administration has all but abandoned.

Fighting the Tide of Watered Down Justice

December 4, 2019 NRDC in ActionFlint, Michigan, Newark, New JerseyNicole Greenfield

Nearly three years after winning a $97 million legal settlement that required the city of Flint to replace its lead water service lines, NRDC is still on the ground holding officials accountable, and using similar tactics as we demand clean…

Parks Are Good—but They Can (and Should) Be Better

November 22, 2019 PerspectivesUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

At their best, urban green spaces have the power to restore our weary souls—and maybe even to curb sprawl. Why do we so often treat them like civic afterthoughts?

The EPA Says It Wants “Scientific Transparency.” What It Really Wants Is Control Over Research.

November 15, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

A newly proposed rule would let Andrew Wheeler decide what kind of science is—and isn’t—allowed to inform our country’s public health protections.

On California’s Fires, More Smoke and Mirrors From Trump

November 8, 2019 Latest NewsCaliforniaJeff Turrentine

While the state smoldered, the president lashed out at Governor Newsom—and completely ignored the role played by climate change.

Indiana Dunes Finally Gets Its Due, but Conservationists Are Clamoring for More

November 7, 2019 DispatchIndianaSusan Cosier

After a century of advocacy, the Hoosier State has a national park, and its immense popularity is making a case for more protected lakeshore.

These Environmental Artists Do the Mash—the Monster Mash

October 22, 2019 PerspectivesUnited StatesPatrick Rogers

Laura and Gary Dumm reanimate classic horror-flick monsters in bone-chilling scenes of the Anthropocene.

America’s Dairyland May Have a PFAS Problem

October 11, 2019 DispatchMidwest, Wisconsin, MaineSusan Cosier

The toxic chemicals have been showing up in milk around the country, prompting midwestern farmers to take a closer look at their land.

What Can We Do to Fix the Drinking Water Problem in America?

October 7, 2019 ExplainerUnited States, Flint, Newark, Michigan, New Jersey

Seth Siegel, author of the new book “Troubled Water: What’s Wrong with What We Drink,” says we must change people’s mind-sets and get to the root of the issue to ensure safe drinking water for everyone.

New Mexico Has a Methane Cloud Visible by Satellite. It Also Has Bold Climate Plans.

October 2, 2019 DispatchNew MexicoTim Vanderpool

As greenhouse gasses fill the sky, a progressive governor and worried residents take on oil and gas—the state’s most powerful industry.

Has Climate Consciousness Reached a Tipping Point?

September 20, 2019 PerspectivesUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

We don’t want to jinx it, but with the Youth Climate Strike it sort of looks like . . . yes. (Finally.)

As the DOE Abandons a Toxic Mess Threatening the Columbia River, the Yakama Nation Fights Back

September 18, 2019 DispatchWashingtonLora Shinn

The DOE wants to dodge its cleanup duties by reclassifying the nuclear waste contaminating a site along Washington’s Columbia River. Not only is it a reckless move, but it may violate treaty-protected indigenous rights.