Media Center

Obama Administration Announces Landmark Plan for Conservation and Renewable Energy Development in California

September 23, 2014 Press ReleaseCalifornia

LOS ANGELES (September 23, 2014) —The Department of Interior and the California Department of Natural Resources today released a first-of-its-kind plan for conservation and renewable energy development in the California desert.

New Report: Monarch Butterfly a Species Our Children May Never See

September 23, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON (September 23, 2014) – The monarch butterfly, whose spectacular 2,000-mile migration has captivated scientists and school students for generations, is disappearing largely due to pesticides and may not be around for our children to witness in the future, according…

Whale Woes: NRDC Petitions for Endangered Species Act Protections

September 18, 2014 Press Release

LOS ANGELES (September 18, 2014) —The Gulf of Mexico’s only non-migrating great whales are in big trouble, which is why the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) today petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service to add the region’s Bryde’s (pronounced BROO-dus)…

Climate Change Expected to Raise U.S. Wildfire Costs by $10 Billion- $60 Billion per Year in Just Four Decades

September 16, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON (September 16, 2014) – Climate change could take a serious toll on the U.S. economy by expanding by 50 percent the area that wildfires burn —and raising projected damages by tens of billions of dollars a year by 2050…

House Vote against Clean Water Protections Ignores Toledo Lessons

September 9, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON (September 9, 2014) — One month after the toxic algae disaster in Toledo demonstrated the perils of water pollution, the Republican-controlled House today passed a bill (H.R. 5078) to block improvements in the Clean Water Act that would help…

Governor Cuomo Signs New York Ban on Ivory Trade into Law on World Elephant Day

August 12, 2014 Press ReleaseNew York

NEW YORK (August 12, 2014) – On World Elephant Day, Governor Andrew Cuomo today signed a law banning the trade of ivory antiques in the state and increasing penalties for traffickers, a move that can help curb the ongoing slaughter…

Tell It To The Birds: NRDC’s Resident Artist Jenny Kendler Brings Immersive Art Installation to EXPO CHICAGO

August 11, 2014 Press Release

CHICAGO (August 11, 2014) - Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) will present the work of Chicago artist Jenny Kendler at EXPO CHICAGO, the International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art, at Navy Pier’s Festival Hall from September 18-21. Kendler was…

EPA Endorses New & Improved Beach Water Quality Safety Threshold

July 31, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON (July 31, 2014) – In a move designed to protect more than 180 million people who visit America’s coastal and Great Lakes beaches every year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced stronger National Beach Guidance for all…

Food Cart for Monarch Butterflies: Acclaimed Artist Debuts Environmental Art at Marfa Dialogues / St. Louis

July 29, 2014 Press Release

ST. LOUIS, MO (July 29, 2014) – Acclaimed artist Jenny Kendler will debut a provocative new piece at this week’s Marfa Dialogues in St. Louis, her first public project since being chosen to be the founding participant in the Natural…

Review Period for Deeply Flawed Bay Delta Conservation Plan Ends Today

July 29, 2014 Press ReleaseCalifornia

LOS ANGELES (July 29, 2014) – The opportunity for public input on the controversial, poorly-designed Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) ends today after a 228-day public review and comment period, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The proposed…

NRDC Report Helps Guide Major Fuel Buyers to Sustainable Biofuels Procurement

July 29, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON (July 29, 2014)—Amid increasing interest in alternative transportation fuels, a new report shows how federal agencies and other large commercial customers can buy sustainably produced biofuels and avoid those linked to major deforestation, destroyed wildlife habitat and fouled waterways.

Governor Quinn Signs Clean Water Initiative

July 23, 2014 Press Release

CHICAGO (July 23, 2014) – Governor Patrick Quinn will sign into law today legislation that will help Illinois cities better prepare for the impacts of climate change. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) worked…

Federal Government OKs Seismic Exploration for Oil, Gas on the East Coast

July 18, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 17, 2014) — The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued a decision today that would open the East Coast — from the New Jersey/ Delaware border to Cape Canaveral, Florida — to dangerous “seismic” exploration for offshore…

EPA Proposes Limits to Protect Wild Salmon, Prevent Massive Pebble Mine in Alaska’s Bristol Bay

July 18, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON (July 18, 2014) – The Environmental Protection Agency today formally proposed limitations that would block the massive, ill-conceived Pebble Mine project, a controversial proposal to mine gold and copper at the headwaters of the pristine Bristol Bay wild salmon…

California Tackles Wasteful Outdoor Watering

July 15, 2014 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SACRAMENTO (July 15, 2014) – The State Water Resources Control Board today voted to adopt mandatory emergency drought measures to curtail wasteful uses of water outdoors and help safeguard our future water supply. The new statewide rules require city utilities…

Farm Bureau Ducks NRDC Challenge to Debate Clean Water Rule

July 15, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON (July 15, 2014)—The American Farm Bureau Federation has tried to duck a challenge from the Natural Resources Defense Council to a public debate over the bureau’s willful misrepresentations regarding a new clean water proposal, which is now under assault…

EPA Should Ban Bee-Killing ‘Neonic’ Insecticides

July 7, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON (July 7, 2014)—The government should move as quickly as possible to ban a major class of insecticides that scientists say is a primary cause of the massive decline of bees and other crucial pollinators, the Natural Resources Defense Council…

Suit Filed to Ensure Foreign Fisheries Meet American Standards for Dolphin and Whale Safety

July 2, 2014 Press ReleaseNew York

NEW YORK— Each year, nearly half of the more than 5 billion pounds of seafood consumed by Americans — including tuna, swordfish, shrimp, cod and other fish — comes from foreign fisheries that have not been shown as meeting U.S…

Beach Report: 10 Percent of America’s Beach Water Samples Fail Safety Test

June 25, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON (June 25, 2014) – Ten percent of all water quality samples collected last year from nearly 3,500 coastal and Great Lakes beaches in the U.S. contained bacteria levels that failed to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s most protective…

NRDC Poll: Latinos want the government to protect water from pollution

June 23, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON (June 23, 2014)— As Senate Republicans try to kill recent steps by the Environmental Protection Agency to protect water supplies, a new poll finds that Latinos in four states overwhelmingly want the federal government to keep our water safe…