News & Commentary

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Dispatch

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Perspectives

Discover intersectional viewpoints from activists and artists on the environmental issues of the moment.

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Expert Blogs

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California’s Wildly Inequitable Water Rights System

Expert BlogCaliforniaKate Poole

It's time to put the interests of the community above the interests of the ancestors of a handful of white settlers who staked their claim to our public resources over a century ago.

California Oil Disaster Brings New Urgency to Calls to Ban Drilling

Expert BlogCalifornia, United StatesValerie Cleland

We have to transition away from fossil fuels. That’s why it’s essential that Congress pass budget reconciliation with offshore drilling provisions—and enact President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda.

Environmental Injustices Plague Parchman Prison, Mississippi

Expert BlogMississippiSarah Tallman, Natalia Ospina, Marisa Guerrero, Sara Imperiale

For years, the people incarcerated at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman have reported a host of problems relating to drinking water and sewage. Now, an investigation confirms repeated and likely ongoing environmental violations at the notorious Parchman prison.

LA County Takes Historic Steps to Phase Out Oil Drilling

Expert BlogCalifornia, Los AngelesDamon Nagami

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to start the process of phasing out oil drilling in unincorporated parts of the County, including within the largest urban oil field in the country.

Living Among the Diesel Trucks: My Environmental Injustice Story

PerspectivesCaliforniaAndrea Guerra
To a college student who grew up surrounded by heavy truck traffic, warehouses, and commercial hubs in one of California’s most polluted communities, the push to electrify transportation is more than just urgent health policy—it’s personal.

Port of LA Revives the Environmentally Unjust SCIG Railyard

Expert BlogLos Angeles, CaliforniaHeather Kryczka

Air pollution from SCIG would exacerbate health problems, including asthma rates, cancer rates, and premature deaths, for people who are already overburdened by diesel pollution associated with the nearby San Pedro Bay Ports.

CA PFAS Pollution Widespread in Disadvantaged Communities

Expert BlogCaliforniaDr. Anna Reade, Susan Lee

A report published by NRDC, along with its partners Community Water Center, Physicians for Social Responsibility – Los Angeles, and Clean Water Action, finds that drinking water throughout California is contaminated with harmful PFAS chemicals, particularly in already overburdened communities.

Why East San José Residents Are Calling for Action

Expert BlogCaliforniaNatalia Ospina

NRDC has joined forces with our partners the Cassell Neighborhood Association, SOMOS Mayfair, Green Foothills, SURJ @ Sacred Heart, Community Health Partnerships, and LUNA to help ensure that every concerned resident can make their voice heard about the serious impacts…