Print this Page
- Forests
- Land Use & Abuse
- Parks
- Wilderness Preservation
In Depth Articles
See the NRDC Policy Solutions section for more expert analysis of environmental issues. You may also wish to view the working materials in the NRDC Document Bank
- Drilling Down
Report - Oil and gas production releases pollution that can have serious impacts on people's health and the surrounding air, water, and land. Although these operations are frequently located near homes, schools, and other community resources, the oil and gas industry enjoys numerous exemptions from provisions of federal laws intended to protect human health and the environment. This October 2007 report provides a comprehensive assessment of these loopholes, which allow oil and gas companies to continue polluting despite the risks, and describes the available, often economical solutions for using technology to reduce environmental contamination. The report also includes personal stories from people living in communities affected by oil and gas drilling.
- Democracy in Action: The Energy Permitting Process Under NEPA
Testimony - Testimony of NRDC senior attorney Sharon Buccino at hearing on permitting of energy projects, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, May 25, 2005.
- Managing America's Natural Gas 'Crisis'
Analysis - Sharp increases in short-term natural gas prices have prompted some to call for more drilling on public lands and fewer environmental safeguards on gas exploration and use. This November 2005 NRDC analysis confirms emphatically what the last two U.S. Secretaries of Energy have already acknowledged: the fastest, cheapest and cleanest forms of relief from these increases come from more efficient use of natural gas. NRDC's analysis identifies actions the federal government can take to promote efficiency and refutes arguments for sacrificing sensitive public lands and circumventing environmental review and public participation in energy development plans on public lands.
- America's Gas Tank: The High Cost of Canada's Oil and Gas Export Strategy
Report - Canada, not Saudi Arabia, is the single largest supplier of oil and gas to the United States. This October 2002 report from NRDC and the Sierra Club of Canada shows that U.S. demand for fossil fuels is destroying Canadian air, land and water resources, and recommends that Canada aggressively adopt renewable energy sources, protect wilderness areas from fossil fuel exploitation, and pass tougher laws to limit pollution from the oil and gas industry.
- Developments and Dollars: An Introduction to Fiscal Impact Analysis in Land Use Planning
Report - This guide provides citizens, planners, local officials and others concerned with sprawling development and growth issues with tools they need to examine the likely impacts of development proposals on local taxes and municipal budgets. It also offers advice on accounting practices sometimes used to make development appear more attractive to local governments than it really is.
See the NRDC Policy Solutions section for more expert analysis of environmental issues. You may also wish to view the working materials in the NRDC Document Bank
