News & Commentary

2020 U.S. Power Report Card: Good Marks for Solar & Wind

March 17, 2021 Expert BlogUnited StatesChristian Tae

The U.S. power sector in 2020 made big strides in wind and solar, accompanied by a decrease in retail electricity usage due to COVID-19 and a decrease in overall emissions— but we still have work to do.

Rescue Plan Signals Hope for Just Ag Policy

March 16, 2021 Expert BlogUnited StatesAllison Johnson, Amy Brown

Agriculture leaders in Congress have taken a meaningful step toward redressing generations of systemic discrimination that have stripped Black farmers of land, capital, and markets.

Rooftop Solar in California is Ready to Take the Next Step

March 16, 2021 Expert BlogCaliforniaMohit Chhabra, Julia de Lamare

Through this blog we explain NEM, why California’s current policy needs to evolve, and share NRDC’s proposal in the California Public Utilities Commission’s NEM 3.0 proceeding. Our proposal is intended to support sustainable growth in the solar industry while increasing…

India Focus: Floating Solar Generates Energy and Jobs

March 16, 2021 Expert BlogIndiaAnjali Jaiswal

India’s largest floating solar power project is expected to be commissioned in May 2021 in Telangana. Other states are also developing floating solar projects. A new case study examines the direct employment potential across the floating solar project development cycle.

Feed People and the Soil, Starve Landfills and Incinerators

March 15, 2021 Expert BlogBaltimore, MarylandYvette Cabrera, Darby Hoover

At a time when one in four American adults face hunger, it is imperative that we look for ways to ensure food is eaten, not disposed.

Meet Michael Regan

March 11, 2021 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

Biden’s pick to head the EPA is a seasoned fighter in the battle for clean air and a champion for environmental justice.

School Districts Commit to Responsibly Raised Turkey

March 11, 2021 Expert BlogNew York City, New York, Los Angeles, California, Dallas, TexasLena Brook

Urban School Food Alliance sets new responsible antibiotics use standard for turkey in school meals.

Time to End New York’s Fossil Fuel–Related Tax Breaks

March 10, 2021 Expert BlogNew YorkRich Schrader, Marisa Guerrero

Ending the tax benefits the state offers to the oil and gas industry is a critical way to simultaneously tackle the global climate crisis while saving taxpayer money.

Building for “a Climate Damn Emergency”

March 10, 2021 Expert BlogCaliforniaPierre Delforge

The California Energy Commission is working on its 2022 update to the state building code, which encourages all-electric new construction. NRDC and a broad coalition supports the CEC's direction, but asks it to go further to help fight the climate…

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.

Changes to Energy Code Process Strip Power from Local Voters

March 8, 2021 Expert BlogInternationalLauren Urbanek

The development of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) will move from a procedure driven by the votes of thousands of local governmental members, to one that relies on decision-making by a committee.

Smart Procurement Policies Can Help Decarbonize Concrete

March 5, 2021 Expert BlogUnited StatesSasha Stashwick

Across state governments and federally, momentum is building to advance policies that encourage production of industrial building materials with lower embodied emissions while investing in domestic manufacturing and high-quality jobs.

MISO and SPP Can Benefit from a More Connected Grid

March 3, 2021 Expert BlogTexas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kansas, MissouriToba Pearlman

Electric grids across the Midwest, South, and in Texas failed a key resilience test during last month’s winter storm, and one key conclusion is clear: The grids connected via transmission lines fared significantly better than those isolated and on their…

Plastic Toiletry Bottles Could Disappear from NYS Hotels

March 3, 2021 Expert BlogNew York CityEric A. Goldstein

New York could be the second state in the nation to ban environmentally troublesome, individual-size plastic bottles from hotels and motels.

Consumers Win If Illinois’ Prairie State Coal Plant Closes

March 3, 2021 Expert BlogIllinoisJ.C. Kibbey

Prairie State is one of the top 10 polluters in the nation.

Make It Modular: Why Wind and Solar Are So Resilient

March 3, 2021 Expert BlogTexasNathanael Greene

Wind and solar power were not the primary cause of the grid failure in Texas—the main culprit was fossil gas plants that went offline. In fact, wind and solar are intrinsically more reliable than fossil power, but not in the…

Mexico Energy Law Goes Against North American Climate Action

March 3, 2021 Expert BlogMexicoCarolina Herrera

The bill is a major setback for climate action and renewable energy investments in Mexico that will likely raise trade disputes under Mexico’s trade agreements with the U.S. and other nations.

UPDATED: Science, Polling Support NY Bill to Save Bees

March 3, 2021 Expert BlogNew YorkDaniel Raichel

Senator Brad Hoylman introduced new language today for the Birds and Bees Protection Act, a bill that would make the state a national leader in safeguarding its bees, birds, water, and people from widespread neonicotinoid pesticide contamination.

Capturing the Climate Crisis—in Song

March 3, 2021 PerspectivesCanadaJeff Turrentine

On her new album, indie-pop artist Tamara Lindeman explores the complicated ways that climate change is changing . . . us.