News & Commentary

Principles for Parks and Equitable Development

August 28, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, MemphisSasha Forbes, AICP

Assets in our communities that offer us increased connectivity, shelter, and planned outdoor spaces can act as triggers that escalate land values which usually price out existing residents, often low-income and people of color, and more often renters. But communities…

From Farms to Dollar Stores, One Woman’s Fight for Justice

August 23, 2019 DispatchAlbuquerque, New MexicoNicole Greenfield

In her long history as a community organizer and environmental justice activist, Helga Garza has advocated for clean water and nontoxic toys. Her current mission: making fresh, local produce accessible.

That Summer When Climate Change Baked Alaska

August 9, 2019 DispatchAlaskaJeff Turrentine

An Anchorage-based wildlife biologist describes what life is like in our northernmost state—one that’s been dramatically altered by rising temperatures.

Campaign Pushes for Fresh, Local Food at Dollar General

June 12, 2019 Expert BlogAlbuquerque, New MexicoSara Imperiale, Margaret Brown

A delegation from the Campaign for Healthier Solutions attended the 2019 Dollar General shareholder meeting to insist that Dollar General phase out toxic chemicals from its consumer products and source locally grown, fresh produce to better protect the health of…

Battered by Floods, Nebraskans Worry About Pipeline Spills

May 28, 2019 DispatchNebraskaCourtney Lindwall

Historic flooding recently inundated parts of the Cornhusker State where the proposed Keystone XL pipeline would pass through. Here’s why that’s a disaster in the making.

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and NRDC Confront Federal Failures

May 17, 2019 Expert BlogNorth Dakota, South DakotaDr. Jennifer Sass

Albuquerque Is Wiring Up Millennials to Work With the Sun

April 15, 2019 DispatchAlbuquerque, New MexicoBecca Cudmore

With its plan to source all city energy needs from renewable power by 2022, Albuquerque, a winner of the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge, is also jump-starting its solar workforce.

A Fracking Boom Ransacks the Four Corners

March 20, 2019 DispatchNew MexicoTim Vanderpool

Native American activists in northwest New Mexico are putting up a firm resistance as the U.S. Bureau of Land Management hands over their homeland to allies in the oil and gas industry.

The Desire to Stop Canadian Tar Sands Transcends Borders

January 10, 2019 NRDC in ActionAlberta, Canada, Nebraska, Chicago, IllinoisNicole Greenfield

For more than a decade, NRDC has worked with indigenous communities in Alberta, U.S.-based grassroots groups, and intergovernmental bodies to halt the expansion of dirty tar sands oil.

Hundreds of Workers Who Cleaned Up the Country’s Worst Coal Ash Spill Are Now Sick and Dying

December 17, 2018 DispatchTennesseeAustyn Gaffney

Ten years after the disaster at a Tennessee power plant, the cleanup crew is seeking justice. At the same time, the Trump administration is weakening protections for this toxic pollution.

These Alaska Residents Are Watching Their Hometowns Slide Into Rising Waters

October 29, 2018 DispatchAlaskaAlisa Opar

At least 31 villages now face imminent threats from climate change and may have to relocate, at a cost of as much as $200 million each.

How Did Farmer Brown Bring His Dying Land Back From the Brink?

September 28, 2018 PerspectivesNorth DakotaJeff Turrentine

By focusing on soil health, this North Dakota rancher didn’t just save the family homestead—he made it flourish.

To Understand the Growing Wildfire Threat, Look to the Tree Rings

July 9, 2018 DispatchNew MexicoLarry O'Hanlon

As New Mexicans brace for a potentially catastrophic fire season, forest ecologists explain how we got here—and why the problem isn’t going away.

Stopping a Dakota Access Pipeline Leak in Under 10 Minutes? A Fairy Tale, Say the Standing Rock Sioux

May 21, 2018 DispatchNorth Dakota, South DakotaSusan Cosier

In a recent report, the tribe picks apart the pipeline company’s emergency response plan.

The South Is Warming Up to Solar

May 11, 2018 DispatchGeorgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, MississippiRobynne Boyd

In the past five years, solar capacity in the South has increased nearly thirtyfold.

When a Study Singled Out Memphis’s Unfairly High Power Bills, Grassroots Groups Took Action

March 19, 2018 DispatchMemphis, TennesseeRobynne Boyd

Residents of the southern city spend twice as much as the average American on power. Why? It’s complicated.

Drilling for Tax Cuts: The Devastating Alaska Provision

December 8, 2017 Latest NewsAlaskaJeff Turrentine

Most Americans, including many congressional Republicans, are strongly opposed to oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. So why is it attached to the tax bill?

This Thanksgiving, Nashville Saves Food and Feeds the Hungry

November 16, 2017 DispatchNashville, TennesseeRobynne Boyd

In Music City, restaurateurs, grocers, farmers, volunteers, the mayor, and NRDC's Nashville Food Waste Initiative are harmonizing in the fight against wasted food.

The Fight to Keep Oil and Gas Rigs Out of Our Waters. For Good.

October 3, 2017 NRDC in ActionAlaska, Florida, California, Washington, United StatesMelissa Denchak

NRDC played a key role in banning offshore drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic. Once again, it’s fighting to protect those oceans—and the rest of America’s waters.

Meet Jane Kleeb: One of Nebraska’s First and Fiercest KXL Opponents

August 3, 2017 DispatchNebraskaNicole Greenfield

The founder of Bold Nebraska has led the Cornhusker State’s years-long rallying cry against TransCanada’s tar sands pipeline.