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Questions and Answers About the Santa Susana Field Lab

Expert BlogCaliforniaCaroline Reiser

The Santa Susana Field Lab near Los Angeles is one of the most contaminated sites in California. Yet cleanup has barely begun. Here we answer common questions about the site and its cleanup, or lack thereof.

Delta Voluntary Agreements Are a “Plan to Fail” in Droughts

Expert BlogCaliforniaDoug Obegi
Rather than planning for droughts and ensuring that minimum water quality objectives are achieved in critically dry years, the proposed voluntary agreement appears to be a “plan to fail” to protect the Delta in future droughts.

Bay-Delta VA: A Sweetheart Deal to Subsidize Agribusiness

Expert BlogCaliforniaDoug Obegi
It’s not surprising, given who was in the room negotiating this backroom deal, that the VAs are a sweetheart deal that would subsidize the mitigation obligations of the state’s largest irrigation districts and industrial agribusinesses, undermining the Public Trust.

Let’s Help More California Farms Become Organic

Expert BlogCaliforniaLena Brook
The California Department of Food and Agriculture, along with the Office of the First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, recently released a roadmap for our state’s new and ambitious Farm to School Program.

New CA Program Can Deliver Organic School Lunches

Expert BlogCaliforniaLena Brook

By prioritizing procurement from organic farmers that avoid all or most pesticide use, our state’s farm-to-school program will also help reduce health risks faced by these especially vulnerable children. 

Promoting Provincial Coal Power Transition Pathways in China

Expert BlogChinaAlvin Lin

New research by NRDC and the Peking University (PKU) Institute of Energy sheds light on the critical role that Chinese provinces can play in phasing out coal power and meeting national targets for carbon peaking and neutrality. 

Smart from Start to Finish

Expert BlogCaliforniaHelen O'Shea
On a windy, bright day in Lemoore, California, another 250 megawatts of clean power was added to California’s energy mix with the dedication of the Aquamarine Solar Project.

Diablo Canyon Redux: Joint Letter to CA Governor Misfires

Expert BlogCalifornia, WestRalph Cavanagh
NRDC hopes that those who submitted the letter will join us and many others in supporting much more affordable and practicable approaches to decarbonizing California’s economy.

California’s Rooftop Solar Net Metering Program

Expert BlogCaliforniaNRDC
California is in the midst of seeking input from stakeholders, through a California Public Utilities Commission process, to evolve its approach to its net metering rooftop solar program in a manner that accounts for emerging needs and market trends.

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

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's Net Metering Reform: Necessary, Accurate, Fair

Expert BlogCaliforniaMohit Chhabra

The CPUC’s Proposed Decision, if adopted, it would institute significant reforms to the Commission’s net metering (NEM) rate for residential customers with rooftop solar. This proposed decision is the culmination of a year-long proceeding at the CPUC.

Tenant Protections, Good Jobs Key to Decarbonizing Buildings

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…

Should CA Seek Another Life Extension for Diablo Canyon?

Expert BlogUnited States, CaliforniaRalph Cavanagh

In an op-ed calling for the nuclear power plant’s operating license to be extended past 2025, Steven Chu and Ernest Moniz acknowledge that the process would be “complex.” It wouldn’t just be complex; it would be hugely expensive and wrong.

A Four Point Guide to California's Net Metering Update

Expert BlogCaliforniaMohit Chhabra, Julia de Lamare, Merrian Borgeson

What should rooftop solar customers be paid for the electricity they generate, and how should the costs of the electric system that we all depend on be shared among customers with and without rooftop solar?