Media Center

Health and Environmental Safeguards Under Attack by GOP Leadership

June 18, 2015 Press Release

WASHINGTON (June 18, 2015) – Congressional Republican leaders are adding numerous anti-environmental measures to must-pass appropriations bills and moving them through the House and a key Senate committee this week, despite a presidential veto threat and support for health and…

NRDC President: Pope Calls All People of Good Will to Climate Action

June 18, 2015 Press Release

WASHINGTON (June 18, 2015) – The following is a statement by Rhea Suh, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, upon the release of Pope Francis’ encyclical on climate change.

California Water Board Missteps, Overlooks Critical Water Supply Potential for State

June 16, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (June 16, 2015) – The State Water Resources Control Board today decided not to move forward on one of the most promising opportunities to help California become more drought- resistant: stormwater capture. The Board’s precedent-setting decision could have…

Groups Urge WHO to Set Safety Standards for Herbicide Glyphosate it Classified as Carcinogenic

June 16, 2015 Press Release

WASHINGTON (June 16, 2015) – A coalition of groups are urging the World Health Organization to swiftly set new safety standards for the world’s most widely used herbicide—glyphosate, often sold as “Roundup” – after a WHO cancer-evaluating arm recently classified…

FDA Should Follow Trans Fat Move with Safety Reviews of 1,000 other Chemicals in Food

June 16, 2015 Press Release

WASHINGTON (June 16, 2015) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration took action today that all but bans the use of trans fats in foods, which studies have linked to heart disease.

Robert Redford to Address High-Level Event at the United Nations in Advance of International Climate Negotiations

June 15, 2015 Press ReleaseNew York

NEW YORK (June 15, 2015) – Robert Redford, the noted artist and activist, will speak before the United Nations on June 29th, 2015 to discuss the global need to act on climate change. This event, attended by ministers and delegates…

President Obama Pledges Federal Support for Western Drought

June 12, 2015 Press Release

WASHINGTON D.C. (June 12, 2015) – President Obama convened a meeting with leaders of several Western states today to discuss the federal response to a drought that has been ravaging the western part of the United States. Obama also announced…

NRDC, Others Petition FDA to Ban Eight Carcinogenic Flavorings in Food

June 10, 2015 Press Release

WASHINGTON (June 10, 2015) – Eight synthetic flavorings—which may be found in ice cream, baked goods, candy and beverages—are known to cause cancer in lab animals, and should be banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a coalition of…

Ocean Victory: More than Two Dozen Undersea Atlantic Coral Canyons Now Protected

June 10, 2015 Press ReleaseNew York

NEW YORK (June 10, 2015) — The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council today voted to protect 27 named deep sea canyons divided into 15 protection zones, as well as a vast swath of surrounding deep sea habitat, off the region’s coast…

More than 100 Leading Scientists Call for Halt to Tar Sands Oil Development

June 10, 2015 Press Release

WASHINGTON (June 10, 2015) – More than 100 leading climate scientists, economists, biologists and geophysicists today are calling for a North American moratorium on tar sands oil development and related infrastructure to avoid worsening climate change, endangering the land and…

Victory: Challenge to Clean Power Plan Fails

June 9, 2015 Press Release

WASHINGTON (June 9, 2015) – The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed Clean Power Plan passed its first court test today when the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a legal challenge was premature and must wait for the plan’s final…

Coal Industry’s Financial Woes Threaten to Shift Billions in Cleanup Costs to U.S. Taxpayers, Says New Report

June 9, 2015 Press Release

BOZEMAN, Mont. (June 9, 2015) – As the financial pressures on the coal industry mount, a new $3 billion threat to taxpayers is emerging in the form of self-insured coal companies potentially walking away from reclamation obligations, leaving the public…

Groups Seek to Intervene in New Jersey Lawsuit Against Exxon Over Decades of Toxic Pollution

June 9, 2015 Press Release

TRENTON, N.J. (June 10, 2015) – Environmental groups today filed a motion to intervene in litigation brought by the State of New Jersey against ExxonMobil Corporation over damages due for decades of toxic soil and water contamination in the northern…

Broad Coalition Submits Settlement Proposal to Public Utilities Commission to Deploy Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in San Diego

June 4, 2015 Press Release

SAN FRANCISCO (June 4, 2015) – A diverse set of public interest groups, automakers, labor unions, and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) submitted a proposed settlement yesterday to the California Public Utilities Commission to accelerate the deployment of smart…

NRDC Statement on EPA Draft Study of Fracking & Drinking Water Risks

June 4, 2015 Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 4, 2015) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today released its long-awaited draft study of the potential impacts of fracking on drinking water supplies around the country.

Public is Financing $73 billion in Coal Development, Report Reveals

June 2, 2015 Press Release

WASHINGTON (June 2, 2015) –International financial institutions and governments worldwide are pouring billions of dollars into building new and existing coal-fired power plants and expanding coal mining – activities that worsen dangerous carbon pollution, according to a new report that…

White House Announces New Federal Purchasing Policy for Meat

June 2, 2015 Press Release

WASHINGTON (June 2, 2015) – At the White House’s Forum on Antibiotic Stewardship, the Administration released today a new memorandum directing federal agencies to create a preference for meat and poultry produced according to responsible antibiotic-use.

House Passes Bill that Guts Critical Fisheries Law and Threatens to Reverse Years of Progress

June 2, 2015 Press Release

WASHINGTON (June 2, 2015) – The House passed a measure late Monday that would gut the landmark Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, which is bringing back U.S. fisheries from collapse. The legislation weakens key fishery conservation protections, such as…

New Poll: Californians Are Highly Concerned about Meat from Animals Routinely Fed Antibiotics

June 1, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SAN FRANCISCO (June 1, 2015) – California residents are seriously concerned about the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in meat and poultry production and an overwhelming majority favor California leaders taking action to close gaps in federal oversight, according to…

Hope for Elephants: China Announces Plan to Phase-Out Commercial Ivory Sales

May 29, 2015 Press Release

CHICAGO (May 29, 2015) – Yesterday, Chinese officials announced a new plan to phase-out commercial ivory manufacturing and sales. This action is expected to reduce demand for ivory in China, the world’s largest ivory market, which will help curb the…