News & Commentary

Time to Bury Big Oil's Criminal Enhancement Bill for Good

April 11, 2021 Expert BlogIllinoisJ.C. Kibbey

An Illinois legislator is pushing for a bill which would significantly enhance criminal penalties for anyone entering or causing damage to a very widely defined group of “critical infrastructure facilities,” effectively chilling peaceful exercise of freedom of speech, and threatening…

Environmental Justice Protects Public Health

April 1, 2021 Expert BlogChicago, IllinoisGina Ramirez

Chicago’s health care professionals are calling on the city’s Department of Public Health to be accountable to policy decisions that put communities at risk. This is a major step in our fight for environmental justice because racism is a public…

Fighting Inequity with Solar Power

March 30, 2021 DispatchMinneapolis, St. PaulSusan Cosier

Minneapolis’s 4d program to boost energy efficiency and affordable housing in the city is kicking it up a notch.

Victory in California

March 30, 2021 Expert BlogCalifornia, Chicago, IllinoisLauren P. Phillips

A court rules that California must stop exempting metal shredding facilities from hazardous waste laws, clearing a path to finally protect California communities from metal shredder pollution.

Stressed by Heat, Farmworkers Deserve Federal Protections

March 26, 2021 Expert BlogCalifornia, Washington, MinnesotaTeniope Adewumi-Gunn

Unprotected from many basic workplace rights and in the face of a growing climate crisis that threatens their well-being, farmworkers deserve federal safeguards from extreme heat and its dangerous effects.

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…

As 2020 Ends, We Still Need All Hands In

December 28, 2020 Expert BlogUnited States, Washington, D.C.Gina McCarthy

In January, I will be joining the Biden–Harris powerhouse of a Climate Cabinet, and NRDC will continue the work to build a cleaner, healthier, more just and equitable world.

Fossils and Nukes: The Downsides to Congress’ Latest Actions

December 23, 2020 Expert BlogUnited States, Washington, D.C.Josh Axelrod, Geoffrey H. Fettus

With the passage of significant energy and climate legislation as part of an end-of-year spending package, Congress cobbled together legislation with both major climate wins (including the phase-down of HFCs) and problematic handouts for the fossil fuel industry and dangerous…

In a Segregated Chicago, Art Puts Environmental Racism on Display

December 22, 2020 PerspectivesChicagoZaria Howell

If the General Iron plant is too dirty for the city’s North Side, it’s also too dirty for the Southeast Side.

Latin America’s 2020 Climate Leaders and Laggards

December 21, 2020 Expert BlogInternational, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, BrazilAmanda Maxwell, Carolina Herrera, Jessica Carey-Webb, Marilyn Kunce

2020 was a turbulent year in Latin America—and a mixed bag on climate action. It will be important for the incoming Biden-Harris administration to put climate change front and center in its engagement with the region.

Bipartisan States Commit to Clean and Healthy Transportation

December 21, 2020 Expert BlogMassachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Washington, D.C.Bruce Ho

A bipartisan group of Eastern states announce an agreement to modernize transportation.

HFC Phasedown Marks Top Climate Win of 116th Congress

December 20, 2020 Expert BlogUnited States, Washington, D.C.David Doniger, Alex Hillbrand

Year-end omnibus legislation includes a bill to phase down HFC super-pollutants—the biggest action this Congress has taken to meet the climate crisis.

Cities Are Leading the Way: 2020 Wins & Look Ahead

December 17, 2020 Expert BlogUnited States, Charlotte, Honolulu, Pittsburgh, St. LouisJay Orfield, Kimi Narita

Cities made tremendous progress in their climate challenge goals throughout a difficult 2020. Now, cities are eyeing all that is possible in the new year.

Energy Efficiency: Ohio's Hospitals and Low-Income Residents

December 15, 2020 Expert BlogOhioDaniel Sawmiller

Ohio's Hospitals and low-income residents have benefit greatly from energy efficiency programs. Still, Ohio lawmakers may choose to eliminate these programs and increase the energy burden—and electric bill—for both.

Just Transition Milestone: Solar Power for Peoria’s ART Inc.

December 14, 2020 Expert BlogPeoria, IllinoisSelena Kyle, Alyssa Brown

Peoria, Illinois has hit a new milestone in its efforts to transition away from fossil fuels. One of the projects funded through our Clean Air Act settlement with the owners of the E.D. Edwards power plant is done!

A New York Climate Justice Activist with Roots in the Blue Ridge Mountains

December 11, 2020 DispatchNew York City, Washington, D.C.Carmen Cusido

WE ACT’s director of environmental health and education, Taylor Morton, who found their path to environmental justice work through a childhood spent in nature, wants to help the next generation get outside without fear.

Hydro-Highway Robbery

December 4, 2020 Expert BlogChileJessica Carey-Webb

The Reguemos Chile project would benefit agribusinesses at the expense of the environment, small farmers, and Indigenous peoples.

House Doubles Down on Pebble Mine

November 25, 2020 Expert BlogWashington, D.C., United StatesTaryn Kiekow Heimer

Leaders of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure requested records about the proposed Pebble Mine to determine whether Pebble executives duped Congress, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the public about the size and scope of the project.

800,000-Plus Risk Water Shutoffs in the Great Lakes State

November 24, 2020 Expert BlogMichiganCyndi Roper

An estimated 800,000 Michiganders throughout the state are known to be behind on their water bills and could face water shutoffs, according to new data compiled by NRDC in collaboration with the People's Water Board Coalition.

Biden Plan Promises Better Buildings, for Climate and Equity

November 17, 2020 Expert BlogUnited States, Washington, D.C.Khalil Shahyd, Lauren Urbanek

The incoming Biden-Harris administration faces four interlocking crises that must be tackled head-on.