Issues: U.S. Law & Policy

In Depth Articles

Fact Sheets from NRDC's Legislative Staff
Index

This new NRDC archive provides position statements on matters of environmental importance pending before Congress.

Environment Watch: California
Index

With the support of more than a quarter of a million California members and activists and a staff of scientists, policy experts and attorneys, NRDC plays a key role in crafting policies to safeguard clean air and water and protect California's renowned landscapes. The following pages describe NRDC's California advocacy work and include summaries of important state legislation, NRDC's positions on pending administrative decisions and our efforts to solve California's most pressing environmental problems.

A Golden Opportunity: California’s Solutions for Global Warming
Report

The landmark California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, also known as AB 32, is the most ambitious global warming solutions law in the nation. The state’s next step: putting in place the specific measures that will bring emissions levels back to 1990 levels by 2020 to meet AB 32’s limit. This June 2007 report describes how California is protecting the state from global warming pollution while growing its economy and encouraging the innovative clean technology industry.

After Katrina: New Solutions for Safe Communities and a Secure Energy Future
Report

The devastation and human suffering left behind by Hurricane Katrina has given America a task not faced since the Chicago fire, San Francisco earthquake, or perhaps even the Civil War -- the challenge of rebuilding one of its major cities. This September 2005 NRDC report represents the combined efforts of our best experts on public health, toxic waste, urban design, coastal protection, energy security and global warming to offer up a set of policies and practices to protect the safety and well-being of Gulf Coast residents -- and all Americans -- today, during the recovery period, and onward into a healthier, more sustainable future.

Environmental Policy Discussions After Hurricane Katrina
Index

Hurricane Katrina spurred widespread debate about environmental policies: those that may have contributed to the devastation and those that can help avert future disasters. As we work to ensure that our leaders take away the right lessons from this disaster, and respond with real solutions, we will update this page with NRDC recommendations and analyses.

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.

An Environmental Agenda for the 109th Congress
Policy Papers

This NRDC policy paper, issued in early 2005, summarizes the top environmental priorities NRDC sees ahead for the 109th Congress.

The Environmental Record of the 108th Congress
Fact Sheet

The 108th Congress was called to order on January 7, 2003, and adjourned on December 8, 2004 (more than two full months after scheduled adjournment). We recount the major environmental battles and outcomes below.

Rewriting the Rules (2005 Special Edition)
Report

The Bush administration took nearly 150 actions to undermine environmental protections over the past year, consistent with its historic assault on the nation's environmental safeguards. This January 2005 NRDC report assesses the Bush presidency's first-term environmental policies, and previews battles expected during the administration's second term.

Defending NEPA from Assault
Fact Sheet

For more than 30 years, the National Environmental Policy Act has protected America's natural heritage on land and sea, giving federal managers an essential tool with which to do their jobs. Specifically, NEPA requires federal agencies to study and disclose the environmental effects of their actions and to include the public in their decisionmaking. Today, opportunities exist to achieve NEPA's goals more effectively and efficiently -- but the Bush administration and some in Congress are now acting to circumvent, rather than improve, NEPA.

Holding the Line: The Environmental Record of the 107th Congress
Report

This December 2002 report tracks the environmental record of the 107th Congress and identifies issues to watch in the 108th.

Clean Water at Risk: An Assessment of Bush Administration Water Protection Rollbacks
Report

An October 2002 NRDC report -- issued on the 30th anniversary of the passage of the Clean Water Act -- that assesses the impact this landmark environmental law has had on the safety and environmental health of the nation’s waterways and documents the Bush administration's sustained attack on clean water protections.

Environment in the Crosshairs
Report

This February 2002 NRDC report describes the battles waged by the 107th Congress over public lands, water and health. Tracking major environmental legislation throughout 2002, the report concludes that the political agenda of both the House leadership and the White House has been to weaken environmental protections and policies at every turn, and only the leadership of the Senate has prevented the worst from occurring.

Hostile Environment: How Activist Judges Threaten Our Air, Water, and Land
Report

In the past decade, several federal judges have placed their own political agenda above the clear mandates of our environmental laws. Ignoring congressional statutes and legal precedent, they have put new hurdles in the way of environmental regulators and closed courthouse doors to citizens who would sue polluters. This July 2001 NRDC report tracks these developments, and charges that appointing new activist judges to the bench could signal a death sentence for many environmental protections.

The Legislative Record: Environment and the 106th Congress
Report

This February 2001 report analyzes major environmental legislative activity in the 106th Congress and evaluates progress by subject area. The report concludes that the environmental legacy of the 106th Congress lies largely in its failure to take any meaningful action to protect public health and the environment.

At the Crossroads: Environmental Threats and Opportunities in the 106th Congress
Report

A report offering a comprehensive review of environmental legislation Congress is expected to consider in 2000. The report includes a summary and analysis of each pending legislative proposal on the environment, a short review of various "regulatory reform" bills, charts showing the legislative status of each pending environmental and regulatory reform bill, and a list of laws and appropriations riders affecting the environment that were passed in 1999.

Damage Report: Environment and the 105th Congress
Report

A report on the action -- and inaction -- of the 105th Congress on environmental issues. In particular, the report highlights the fact that the most important environmental battles of this Congress occurred not over proposals to revise environmental statutes, but over provisions buried in federal spending bills.

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