News & Commentary

Pebble Mine 2023: Tribes Win Veto, State Hail Marys SCOTUS

December 14, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, AlaskaJoel Reynolds

Pebble Mine: Year in Review. After EPA issues rare veto of massive Bristol Bay mine, Dunleavy Administration throws lifeline to Canadian owner, lodging dubious claims in U.S. Supreme Court.

When You Poison Our Lands, You Poison Us

October 25, 2023 PerspectivesArizona, South DakotaHannah Throssell

The granddaughter of a Navajo uranium miner stands with the Standing Rock Sioux against DAPL.

Biden Administration Must Redo Its Assessment of Dakota Access Pipeline

October 24, 2023 Expert BlogNorth Dakota, South DakotaDr. Michele Bustamante, Amy Mall, Dr. Matthew McKinzie, Dr. Jennifer Sass, Dawn Woodard

The recent Draft Environmental Impact Statement ignores the threats to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s drinking water source and violates tribal treaty rights and sovereignty in a severe environmental injustice.

Water Is Life—from Standing Rock to Oaxaca’s Mixtecan Highlands

September 18, 2023 PerspectivesMexico, West, South DakotaElybeth Sofia Alcantar

A geographer sees a familiar pattern of government-backed energy projects devastating Indigenous communities and violating tribal sovereignty.  

Under “Food Apartheid,” Urban Farms Are More Important Than Ever

April 28, 2023 DispatchUnited States, Indiana, IndianapolisJeff Turrentine

But BIPOC urban farmers continue to face unique challenges—including inequitable access to land and loans.

Goodbye Verner, Fearless Fighter Against the Pebble Mine

April 19, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, AlaskaJoel Reynolds

Bristol Bay tribal and environmental leader Verner Wilson III personified the next generation of committed opposition in decades-long battle against destructive Bristol Bay mining scheme.  

Defense Bill Compromise for Northern Nevada Lands and Tribes

January 4, 2023 Expert BlogNevadaBobby McEnaney, Katie Hobbs

This year's annual defense bill contained an expansion of the Fallon Naval Air Station in northern Nevada—a compromise that strives to resolve complex land use issues and protect the environment.

End the Threat to Bristol Bay This Indigenous Peoples’ Day

October 10, 2022 Expert BlogAlaskaTaryn Kiekow Heimer

On Indigenous Peoples’ Day we honor and celebrate the culture and resilience of Native peoples throughout the United States.

Nevada to Power Clean Vehicles with Clean Electricity

November 30, 2021 Expert BlogNevadaMax Baumhefner, Dylan Sullivan

Nevada approves $100 million investment in charging infrastructure for electric cars, trucks, and buses.

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.

Nevada Becomes 16th Clean Cars State and Model for Others

October 22, 2021 Expert BlogNevadaDr. Simon Mui

Nevada became the 16th state in the nation to adopt clean cars today, after the Legislative Commission approved the Clean Cars Nevada program in a bipartisan vote. The vote marked the final approval step after the Nevada State Environmental Commission…

Major Agreement on Clean Cars Nevada Program Announced

July 28, 2021 Expert BlogNevadaDr. Simon Mui

Major stakeholders including clean energy advocates, representatives from the auto industry, and the franchised auto dealer association came together to announce an agreement on modifications to the proposed Nevada's Clean Cars program.

The Unlikely Takedown of Keystone XL

June 29, 2021 NRDC in ActionNebraska, South Dakota, Canada, MontanaCourtney Lindwall

The notorious tar sands pipeline was a lightning rod in the fight against climate change and the seemingly unstoppable oil industry. NRDC advocates were part of a broad coalition that helped stop Keystone XL—for good.

Nevada Aims to Plug Vehicles into Renewable Energy

June 1, 2021 Expert BlogNevadaMax Baumhefner, Dylan Sullivan

Nevada's legislature has passed a bill that would help the state drive on cleaner, cheaper electricity. If signed into law, the policy would speed the approval of transmission lines needed to move low-cost, renewable electricity across the region and would…

Alaska Natives Lead a Unified Resistance to the Pebble Mine

April 20, 2021 DispatchAlaskaNicole Greenfield

The effort to stop a massive mine project in Bristol Bay, Alaska, has been a decades-long fight for the region’s Indigenous People. Five tribal leaders share their experiences.

Goodbye, Yucca. It’s Now Time for Consent for Nuclear Waste.

January 28, 2021 Expert BlogNevadaGeoffrey H. Fettus, Dr. Matthew McKinzie

NRDC stands ready to work with Granholm upon her expected confirmation, the Administration, and Congress to solves this Rubik’s Cube of environmental challenges.

Pebble Mine 2020 in Review: A Win for the Soul of the Earth

December 22, 2020 Expert BlogUnited States, AlaskaJoel Reynolds

Army Corps denies permit for destructive Bristol Bay mega-mine, stunning company that vows to appeal, while Alaskans and opposition coalition focus on long-term protections for Bristol Bay.

NRDC Proudly Supports the Call to Protect Bristol Bay

December 2, 2020 Expert BlogAlaskaTaryn Kiekow Heimer

We are honored to stand with the leaders from Bristol Bay calling for long-term protection that would provide certainty to those who depend on the region's natural resources.

Pebble Mine Permit DENIED!

November 25, 2020 Expert BlogAlaskaTaryn Kiekow Heimer

The Army Corps is finally acknowledging the very real risks the proposed gold and copper mega-mine poses to the cherished Bristol Bay.

Pebble Mine Submits Secret Mitigation Plan

November 20, 2020 Expert BlogAlaskaTaryn Kiekow Heimer

The proponents of the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska promise that they can mitigate the project’s destruction of thousands of acres of pristine wetlands and more than one hundred miles of streams – but they refuse to say…