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The Supreme Court Ends Chevron Deference—What Now?

ExplainerUnited StatesJeff Turrentine
For one, the ability of federal agencies like the EPA to set rules and enforce environmental protections now shrinks.
An illustration of two people lying down on grass surrounded by flowers on one side and litter on the other, with one person holding a ladybug in their hands

It’s Time to Talk about Climate Anxiety

ExplainerUnited StatesJenny Shalant
Don’t bottle it up—openly acknowledging your climate anxiety and grief gives you the power to heal and move forward.
A brightly colored illustration showing a green hydrogen hub. A container ship on a waterway and a hydrogen production and storage facility are in the foreground, a solar panel array and wind turbines are in the mid-ground, and a city and sunset sky are in the distance.

Can Hydrogen Help Combat the Climate Crisis?

ExplainerUnited StatesSusan Cosier
Hydrogen hubs across the country seek to fuel high-emission industries with cleaner energy.

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BLM Finalizes Oil and Gas Rule

Expert BlogUnited StatesJosh Axelrod
The Bureau of Land Management finalized its onshore oil and gas rule to hold industry accountable for cleanup, limit speculation, and improve taxpayer returns.

Report Calls for Modernizing Hardrock Mining

Expert BlogUnited StatesJosh Axelrod
Interagency review offers a vision for improving domestic mining and addressing its historic impacts in the face of a rapidly accelerating energy transition.

House Majority Tries to Sell the Country to Big Oil, Again

Expert BlogUnited StatesJosh Axelrod, Valerie Cleland
In their latest legislative attack on our climate, Republicans in the House have released a proposal so detrimental to our environment and communities, it may rank as the worst appropriations bill in decades.

Lawmakers Propose Modern Approach to U.S. Mining

Expert BlogUnited StatesJosh Axelrod
Representative Raul Grijalva and Senator Martin Heinrich today are introducing legislation to tackle the historic harms and inequities of U.S. mining law and to chart a path forward on mineral supplies as we look to rapidly electrify our economy.

Public Land Grab: Senate Bill Gifts Miners Pass to Pollute

Expert BlogWest, Nevada, Idaho, United StatesJosh Axelrod
Senators Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV) and Jim Risch (R-ID) have introduced legislation that makes it easier for mining companies and others to acquire rights to federal land and to be able to use them as dumping grounds and worse. The legislation…

Another Round of Oil & Gas Leasing, With Rules Still M.I.A.

Expert BlogUnited States, WestJosh Axelrod

With nearly 325,000 acres across five states now up for potential leasing in Spring 2023, the BLM continues to move forward with largely unfettered onshore oil and gas leasing on federal public lands despite the escalating climate crisis. 

O&G Leasing on Horizon Brings Calls for Immediate Reforms

Expert BlogUnited StatesJosh Axelrod

Today, in two separate requests to the administration, groups are calling for the Department of the Interior (DOI) to finally deliver on long-promised reforms to the antiquated onshore oil and gas program. Despite numerous calls from government watchdogs, an executive…

Climate Deal: What It Means for Public Lands

Expert BlogUnited StatesJosh Axelrod
The overall proposal includes the largest investments in climate change programs in history, but it also comes with an oil and gas industry chestnut.

Public Lands on Offer to Polluters Again

Expert BlogUnited StatesJosh Axelrod

Amid escalating climate chaos, the Biden administration holds its first onshore oil and gas lease sales since taking office this week.

We Can’t Drill Our Way Out of High Prices

Expert BlogUnited States, InternationalJosh Axelrod
The oil industry is using Russia's invasion of Ukraine to steer us toward policies that would lock in decades of dangerous and unnecessary oil and gas development that do nothing to make us energy independent or lower energy prices.

DOI Announces Major Funds for Abandoned Coal Mine Cleanup

Expert BlogUnited States, East, WestJosh Axelrod
The Department of the Interior has announced $725 million for states to reclaim abandoned mine lands polluted by the legacy of coal mining; funds that will support significant job creation and critical environmental remediation.

Biden Administration Launches Cleanup of Oil’s Messy Legacy

Expert BlogUnited StatesJosh Axelrod
The Interior Department is giving $1.15 billion to states in its first round of funding to clean up old, oil and gas wells. The investment helps create thousands of good-paying jobs and address an intractable environmental issue.

Public Lands and Renewable Energy in the Spotlight

Expert BlogUnited StatesJosh Axelrod

This week, lawmakers in the House of Representatives are giving serious attention to the opportunities and challenges of siting renewable energy projects and their associated transmission infrastructure on public lands.

Federal Oil and Gas Leasing Needs Reform and Phaseout

Expert BlogUnited StatesJosh Axelrod, Valerie Cleland, Lauren Kubiak
As climate change inflicts mounting costs and rising dangers on people across the country, selling off our public lands and waters to fossil fuel companies at steep discounts serves neither present nor future generations. Instead, it locks both into the very fuels that are driving the climate crisis.

Judge Halts Action on Utah Helium Drilling

Expert BlogUtahJosh Axelrod
NRDC and partners today headed off an attempt by the Trump administration to rush approvals for new helium drilling operations within one of America’s newest and most iconic wilderness areas: Labyrinth Canyon in southeastern Utah.

Thousands Oppose Forest Service Oil and Gas Plans

Expert BlogUnited StatesJosh Axelrod
The U.S. Forest Service is looking to make it far easier to drill for oil and gas on National Forests and Grasslands. Despite the significance of the rule changes the agency is proposing, it is dismissing concerns and calling the…