News & Commentary

EPA Reaffirms Need to Protect Bristol Bay but Slows Process

January 28, 2022 Expert BlogAlaskaTaryn Kiekow Heimer

Sends formal letter reasserting concern for proposed mega-mine's unacceptable adverse effects while announcing new timeline that may extend final determination.

New Report: Pathways to Net-Zero for New Mexico’s Economy

January 24, 2022 Expert BlogNew MexicoJacqueline Ennis, Noah Long

Achieving the state’s near and long-term climate goals will depend on New Mexico’s leaders undertaking ambitious and timely action in the upcoming legislative session.

Proposed Newsom Budget Doubles Down on Climate, Food, and Ag

January 12, 2022 Expert BlogCaliforniaLena Brook, Arohi Sharma

Governor Newsom’s newly released proposal rightfully recognizes the profound impact of climate change on our state’s food and agriculture system and the need for significant investment.

California Leads the Way in Fighting the Biodiversity Crisis

December 22, 2021 Expert BlogCaliforniaSandy Aylesworth, Helen O'Shea

California once again has an opportunity to lead the country with visionary conservation efforts that put equity and access at the forefront of decision making.

Pebble Mine 2021 Year in Review: Back to the Future at EPA

December 22, 2021 Expert BlogAlaskaJoel Reynolds

Destructive Bristol Bay mega-mine is all but dead following EPA’s re-start in 2021 of Clean Water Act 404(c) process for region’s lasting protection, long sought by Bristol Bay tribes and communities.

Clean Trucks Rules Are NJ’s First Step

December 20, 2021 Expert BlogNew JerseyKathy Harris, Patricio Portillo

By adopting the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule—which requires an increasing number of zero-emission truck sales each year in the state—New Jersey took a major step to reduce harmful air pollution.

Debunking Myths Surrounding California's Net Metering Reform

December 17, 2021 Expert BlogCaliforniaMohit Chhabra

Setting the record straight to allow for a fair judgement on the merits of the proposed net-metering decision in California.

Tenant Protections, Good Jobs Key to Decarbonizing Buildings

December 8, 2021 Expert BlogLos Angeles, CaliforniaMichele Knab Hasson, Merrian Borgeson

In Los Angeles, buildings are the top source of carbon pollution, and the city is taking bold steps to end these harmful emissions completely by 2050. As city leaders and other stakeholders consider how to achieve these emissions reductions equitably…

California Must Close Big Pesticide Loophole

December 3, 2021 Expert BlogCaliforniaDaniel Raichel

When is a pesticide not a pesticide?

Gibbstown Ends, Not with a Bang but with a Whimper?

November 30, 2021 Expert BlogNew JerseyKimberly Ong

While the Department of Transportation proposed rescinding the LNG by rail rule, the Department must still adopt this proposal.

Ten New Environmental Laws in California

November 30, 2021 Expert BlogCaliforniaVictoria Rome

The environmental community continued to chalk up wins in the state legislature despite another unusual year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a gubernatorial recall election.

For Thousands of Years, Indigenous Tribes Have Been Planting for the Future

November 30, 2021 DispatchIowa, Canada, Pennsylvania, OklahomaSusan Cosier

With yields of biodiversity and a more climate-resilient food supply, a movement is sprouting in BIPOC communities across North America to save heirloom seeds and preserve culture.

How to Stop a Highway

November 19, 2021 DispatchHouston, Texas, United StatesTim Vanderpool

Houston activists fuel a growing movement to increasingly center environmental justice in infrastructure and protect urban neighborhoods from endlessly expanding road projects.

A Lawyer That Sees Grassroots Relationship-Building as the Path Toward Social Change

November 16, 2021 NRDC in ActionCaliforniaKeith Mulvihill

NRDC’s first chief equity and justice officer, Melissa Lin Perrella, believes the way to strengthen advocacy work is to prioritize community partners who are closest to the problem—and often closest to the solution.

Haaland Takes Important Step to Protect Sacred Chaco Canyon from Fossil Fuel Extraction

November 15, 2021 Expert BlogNew MexicoNRDC

The move is a major win in the larger fight to safeguard the Greater Chaco region, but permanent protection is still needed.

Will Los Angeles Finally Put an End to Oil Drilling in Neighborhoods?

November 12, 2021 DispatchLos AngelesNicole Greenfield

For close to a decade, the STAND-L.A. coalition has been calling on the city to stop extracting oil near homes and schools. Victory, at long last, is within reach.

LA Must Tackle Clean Buildings & Affordable Housing Together

November 8, 2021 Expert BlogLos Angeles, CaliforniaStefan Schaffer, Michele Knab Hasson, Megan Ross

Currently, LA’s building stock is responsible for 43% of the city’s total greenhouse gas emissions. A recent report dives deep into the complex relationship between getting fossil fuels out of buildings and creating and preserving affordable housing in Los Angeles…

San José Council Votes to Go Carbon Neutral by 2030

November 5, 2021 Expert BlogCalifornia, San Jose (California)Elizabeth Stampe, Sarah Elkotbeid

San Jose, the nation’s 10th largest city, has emerged as a climate leader in recent years, including by becoming the biggest city in the United States to make almost all new buildings all-electric. But the City’s work isn’t done, as…

Denver’s Climate Fund to Focus on the Most Impacted

November 4, 2021 Expert BlogColorado, DenverEloisa Portillo-Morales, Alana Miller

New Program Provides Energy Burden Relief for Tenants in LA

November 3, 2021 Expert BlogLos Angeles, CaliforniaMichele Knab Hasson

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the largest municipal utility in the country, has worked with advocates to develop a comprehensive program that provides benefits to low income tenants and is accessible by affordable housing providers.