News & Commentary

The Rubber Stamp Allowing Pipelines to Pollute Clean Water

June 21, 2021 Expert BlogNorth Dakota, South Dakota, Virginia, West Virginia, MichiganAmy Mall

PeoriaCorps Green Infrastructure Training Increases Stipend

June 7, 2021 Expert BlogPeoria, IllinoisAlyssa Brown, Jared Knicley

This is the fourth in a series of blogs celebrating the grant projects funded through our Clean Air Act settlement with the owners of the E.D. Edwards coal-fired power plant outside Peoria, Illinois. The settlement provides for the plant to…

California’s Drought Response Will Worsen Harmful Algae

June 2, 2021 Expert BlogCaliforniaKate Poole

Budget Targets Lead Pipe Removal, Water Infrastructure Fixes, Job Creation

June 2, 2021 Expert BlogUnited StatesErik D. Olson

The President’s Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) budget would make a down payment on addressing the crisis of decrepit water supplies serving tens of millions of people with basic health and safety needs.

Suffering from Entanglements Is the Norm for Large Whales

May 27, 2021 Expert BlogUnited States, InternationalDillon Hanson-Ahumada

Recent findings have uncovered the gruesome fact that over half of some species of large whales have been entangled at one point in their lives.

The Future Has Spoken: It’s Time to Shut Down DAPL and Stop Line 3

May 24, 2021 PerspectivesUnited StatesNicole Greenfield

Frontline Indigenous youth, who have been standing up against destructive oil pipelines for years, are imploring President Biden to join them in protecting their water, lands, and cultures.

California Doesn’t Have a Plan for Drought

May 19, 2021 Expert BlogCaliforniaDoug Obegi

President’s Conservation Plan: Making It Happen for Wetlands

May 14, 2021 Expert BlogUnited StatesJon Devine

Our nation’s wetlands—marshes, bogs, fens, and swamps (and many other types you may never have heard of)—are unique, dynamic, and critically important water bodies that perform multiple functions that improve people’s lives and the environment.

VAs Are a Bad Deal for California’s Fish and Wildlife

May 10, 2021 Expert BlogCaliforniaDoug Obegi

Unfortunately, the State of California continues to negotiate backroom deals with the biggest water users in the State that fails to protect and restore water quality in the Bay-Delta, threatening thousands of fishing jobs, farms and communities in the Delta…

Will California Save the Last Winter Run Salmon This Year?

May 3, 2021 Expert BlogCaliforniaKate Poole

California’s State Water Board can save this year’s population of endangered winter run chinook salmon eggs and fry, but they have to act now.

Brief Filed in Lawsuit to Protect Delaware River from PCBs

May 3, 2021 Expert BlogNew Jersey, PennsylvaniaMarisa Guerrero, Julia Jonas-Day

Water quality in the Delaware River is under threat of PCB chemical pollution from a proposed liquefied natural gas export terminal. To protect the river, NRDC filed an amicus brief in a federal lawsuit challenging the facility's dredging and construction…

The Bay-Delta Salmon Crisis That Didn’t Have to Be

April 20, 2021 Expert BlogCaliforniaKate Poole

Enough with playing politics with the heart of California’s freshwater system. It is well past time for both the state and federal governments to update standards for salmon management in the Bay-Delta.

Building Back Better—From the Ground Up

April 19, 2021 Expert BlogUnited StatesArohi Sharma

Carbon and water storage? Nutrient transportation and communication pathways? Homes for biodiversity? All these services make soil health critical to an economically resilient food system, and we need to invest in rebuilding this precious natural resource.

Craft Brewers to Biden: Protect Our Most Important Ingredient

April 14, 2021 Expert BlogUnited StatesBecky Hammer

Fifty-five craft breweries submitted a letter asking the administration to ensure their businesses—and their communities—maintain access to clean, safe waterways.

Biden Proposes Big Investments in Water: It’s About Time

March 31, 2021 Expert BlogUnited StatesErik D. Olson

Biden's infrastructure plan would replace millions of lead pipes and invest billions to protect our tap water and water sources. It would be a game-changer—protecting health, investing in equity, and creating millions of living wage jobs.

CA and Feds Still Plan to Drain Reservoirs & Kill Salmon

March 29, 2021 Expert BlogCaliforniaDoug Obegi

The State and Feds must act now to increase reservoir storage and take other actions to reduce water temperatures that kill salmon and steelhead.

Proposed Settlement Aims to Clean Up Mercury in the Penobscot River Estuary

March 19, 2021 Expert BlogMaineNancy Marks

After two decades of litigation, a proposed consent decree from Maine People’s Alliance, NRDC, and Mallinckrodt US LLC could accelerate the recovery of Maine’s largest river.

The Celilo Wy'am Are Still Here

March 10, 2021 DispatchOregonNicole Greenfield

Matriarch Lana Jack continues a decades-long fight for federal recognition of her band—and the right to continue living on the lands of her ancestors.

Biden Can Protect Communities, Halt Mountain Valley Pipeline

March 9, 2021 Expert BlogWest Virginia, Virginia, North CarolinaAmy Mall

We have new leadership in Washington under President Biden, and his administration should take action to send the Mountain Valley Pipeline right where it belongs—into the dustbin of history.

California Proposes to Transition Away from Toxic Pesticides

March 9, 2021 Expert BlogCaliforniaAllison Johnson

California's proposal to update pesticide fees could offer better protections for farm workers, agricultural communities, and vulnerable ecosystems, as well as help farmers adopt more sustainable practices.