News & Commentary

Army Corps Releases a Slapdash Environmental Review of Alaska’s Pebble Mine

March 1, 2019 Latest NewsAlaskaCourtney Lindwall

But the proposed gold and copper mine’s catastrophic threats to the waterways, salmon, and people of Bristol Bay haven’t changed.

The Desire to Stop Canadian Tar Sands Transcends Borders

January 10, 2019 NRDC in ActionAlberta, Canada, Nebraska, Chicago, IllinoisNicole Greenfield

For more than a decade, NRDC has worked with indigenous communities in Alberta, U.S.-based grassroots groups, and intergovernmental bodies to halt the expansion of dirty tar sands oil.

Chicago’s Buildings Need to Help Protect Its River. That Means You Too, Trump Tower.

September 20, 2018 DispatchChicagoSusan Cosier

The president’s hotel uses more river water than any other building and has been chronically out of compliance with the Clean Water Act.

CA Legislature Passes Two Historic Clean Heating Bills

August 30, 2018 Expert BlogCaliforniaPierre Delforge, Merrian Borgeson

In a timely move in these times of historic wildfires and smoky days, California has taken a big step toward reducing carbon emissions and air pollution from heating and hot water in homes and buildings.

Poll: Californians Support Clean Heat for Homes

August 8, 2018 Expert BlogCaliforniaMerrian Borgeson

In These Brightly Colored Landscapes, the Sharp Edges of Industry Collide with Nature’s Curves

July 31, 2018 PerspectivesCalifornia, United StatesPatrick Rogers

Judith Belzer’s oil paintings of bridges, dams, canals, and ports both romanticize and question humanity’s efforts to tame our natural systems.

St. Louis Building Code Update: Raising the Roof (Floor)

July 26, 2018 Expert BlogMissouriKatharine McCormick

St. Louis adopted the 2018 IECC, or International Energy Conservation Code, a model code that creates a floor for energy performance in new buildings. Because the IECC update addresses a wide range of energy uses in both commercial and residential…

Race to Reduce Launched to Energize Saint Paul

June 12, 2018 Expert BlogMinnesotaKatharine McCormick

Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter has kicked off an energy efficiency challenge directed at the city’s largest buildings. Through the program, dubbed the “Race to Reduce,” buildings will be invited to join a cohort that will collectively strive to streamline…

A Commitment to Equity—in the City, the Classroom, and Even the Jungle

June 12, 2018 NRDC in ActionCalifornia, San FranciscoNicole Greenfield

NRDC senior scientist Lara Ettenson is determined to bridge social, economic, and cultural divides by advancing clean energy in California.

California’s Quest for Gold in Zero Emissions Buildings

February 27, 2018 Expert BlogCaliforniaPierre Delforge

The 2018 Winter Olympics have just closed, but California’s pursuit of clean energy is continuing unabated. After initiating the energy efficiency, the solar, and the electric car revolutions over the past two decades, several state lawmakers are looking to tackle…

CA 2020 Building Code Draft: Zero-Net-Electricity New Homes

February 21, 2018 Expert BlogCaliforniaPierre Delforge

California is seeking input on a plan to update its building energy standards to increase energy efficiency, clear the way for clean energy heating and hot water, and, for the first time, require new homes to install rooftop solar panels.

Whittling Away at Energy Waste in Nevada

June 20, 2017 DispatchNevadaElizabeth Svoboda

State lawmakers commit to a sustainable course with an ambitious new energy efficiency bill.

Still No Approved Route for KXL in Nebraska

June 1, 2017 ExplainerUnited States, NebraskaBrian Palmer

Yes, Trump has green-lighted the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. But Nebraska’s got a slew of public hearings on the calendar, and legal challenges loom large.

What’s It Like to Be the Artist-in-Residence at America’s Least Visited National Park?

March 1, 2017 PerspectivesArctic, AlaskaClara Chaisson

“Awful,” says writer and painter Ben Shattuck―but in the good way.

The Tree Whisperer

January 27, 2017 DispatchCaliforniaElizabeth Svoboda

A Berkeley scientist is studying how climate change is affecting California’s giant sequoias, long considered dependable forest stalwarts.

Trashing the Gregory Canyon Landfill

December 12, 2016 NRDC in ActionSan Diego, CaliforniaMelissa Denchak

The California garbage dump project would have desecrated sacred tribal lands, destroyed vital wildlife habitat, and put local waters at risk.

A Statue at Standing Rock Sends a Powerful Message of Resistance

November 23, 2016 PerspectivesNorth DakotaClara Chaisson

Like the DAPL protesters, this artwork is "Not Afraid to Look" Big Oil in the eye.

Our Favorite National Parks

August 15, 2016 NRDC in ActionColorado, California, Minnesota, Alaska, New Mexico, Florida, Virginia, Arizona, Hawaii, Michigan, Montana, Tennessee

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, NRDC’s very own wilderness fanatics share their most treasured park memories.

President Obama’s National Monument To-Dos Before He Leaves Office

July 27, 2016 ExplainerUnited States, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, Maine, Arizona, CaliforniaClara Chaisson

From undersea coral canyons to deep northern woods, these seven places deserve to be part of the president’s legacy.

NRDC's Commitment to Green Starts with Its Offices

April 29, 2016 NRDC in ActionNew York City, Chicago, Santa Monica, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, BeijingMelissa Denchak

Each one of our six workplaces in the United States and China is a model of earth-friendly design.