News & Commentary

A Biden Administration To-Do List on Land Conservation

March 29, 2023 Expert BlogUnited StatesHelen O'Shea

Challenging times call for a new way of looking at the management of our public lands. The moment is ripe for a bold conservation ethic.

Riparian Forests: How California Farmers Can Protect Waterways

March 22, 2023 Expert BlogCaliforniaArohi Sharma

California can work with growers to scale up riparian forest buffers along farm and rangelands to help sequester carbon, protect waterways, and improve biodiversity.

Let’s Protect More Wetlands with FEMA Funds

March 22, 2023 Expert BlogUnited StatesBecky Hammer

NRDC’s new report underscores the importance of wetlands to the health of our planet, its people, and its wildlife. 

Wetlands Are Imperiled—But the Clean Water Act Can Protect Them

March 22, 2023 Expert BlogUnited StatesJon Devine

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers need to use the full measure of their authority under the law to prevent wetland loss.

Establishing a National Healthy Riverscapes Initiative

March 22, 2023 Expert BlogUnited StatesAmy McNamara

NRDC is advocating for policies to protect and restore wetlands, increase public investment in nature-based solutions, and strengthen our natural infrastructure.

Robust Appropriations for Innovation Are Needed to Build on Our Momentum

March 21, 2023 Expert BlogUnited StatesJackie Wong

We call upon Congress to do four specific things in the context of FY24 appropriations for DOE.

IPCC Report Leaves No More Room for Climate Denial in Logging

March 21, 2023 Expert BlogCanada, United States, InternationalJennifer Skene

Industrial logging is a significant driver of global climate change. Ignoring its emissions is a dangerous new form of climate denial.

The Lower Klamath River Will Soon Flow Freely Again

March 21, 2023 DispatchCalifornia, WestNicole Greenfield

Sparking hope for the West’s rivers and beyond, a decades-long battle leads to the world’s biggest dam removal project.

To Lead on Climate, New York State Should Aim High on Clean Industry

March 21, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, New YorkIan Wells

The federal government is rolling out programs to support deployment of emerging technologies that can dramatically reduce emissions from industrial manufacturing. New York should seize the opportunity to clean up its industrial base, attract new industrial investment, and become a…

New York Is Exposing the Fashion Industry for What It Is: a Climate Nightmare

February 13, 2023 DispatchNew York, New York City, InternationalNicole Greenfield

The state’s Fashion Act seeks to set a new trend of holding big brands accountable for their exploitation of workers and the environment.

Six Colorado Basin States Lay Down a Marker for California

January 31, 2023 Expert BlogArizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, WestEd Osann

The "Consensus Based Modeling Alternative" is a positive development in addressing the current water emergency. It’s unfortunate that California did not join in this recommendation.

Proponents of CA Water Infrastructure Cause Permit Delays

January 31, 2023 Expert BlogCaliforniaDoug Obegi

The permitting process isn’t broken. What’s most lacking is good faith by proponents of new infrastructure projects.

New Jersey Adopts First-of-a-Kind Low Carbon Concrete Law

January 31, 2023 Expert BlogNew JerseySasha Stashwick

The passage of the law is the end result of an unwavering awareness-raising and advocacy campaign.

Fighting a Flood of Misinformation about CA Water

January 26, 2023 Expert BlogCaliforniaDoug Obegi

For more than a decade, the science has been clear that we need to reduce diversions from the Bay-Delta in average and drier years.

New York Can Cut Emissions, Create Jobs with Industrial Decarbonization

January 24, 2023 Expert BlogNew YorkIan Wells

Policymakers now have the opportunity to capture billions in new federal incentives, grow the state’s clean industrial economy, and save and create good jobs through investing in industrial decarbonization.

Earth to EPA: “End the Threat,” Protect Bristol Bay Now

January 12, 2023 Expert BlogAlaskaTaryn Kiekow Heimer

Broad-based coalition calls on EPA to finalize its recommended Clean Water Act veto of the Pebble Mine.

Key IRA Program Can Help Drive Transformation in Steelmaking

December 21, 2022 Expert BlogUnited StatesJackie Wong, Rachel Fakhry, Sasha Stashwick

As OCED prepares to invite applications for funding, NRDC and our partners have urged the office to focus on “first few,” high-impact demonstration projects in critical industrial sectors like cement, steel, and chemicals.

The Hard Work of Industrial Decarbonization Begins Now

December 14, 2022 Expert BlogUnited StatesSasha Stashwick

This year marked an inflection point in tackling the challenge of industrial decarbonization, with policymakers at multiple levels finally moving to adopt the policies we need.

California Can Pave the Way on Decarbonizing Cement

December 14, 2022 Expert BlogCaliforniaChristina Theodoridi, Jaden Kielty

Following a law enacted in 2021, all cement used in California will need to reach net zero emissions by 2045.

How Do States Distribute Federal Clean Water Grant Funds?

December 13, 2022 Expert BlogUnited StatesBecky Hammer

States take a wide variety of approaches to deciding which communities should have access to funds that support needed wastewater and stormwater infrastructure upgrades.