News & Commentary

Morgan Stanley Dumps the Pebble Mine, Northern Dynasty

June 22, 2020 Expert BlogAlaskaJoel Reynolds

Multinational investment banking and financial services firm reports over 99 percent reduction in shares of Northern Dynasty Minerals, sole owner of widely condemned Bristol Bay mining scheme.

Take Action to Protect Bees During National Pollinator Week

June 22, 2020 Expert BlogNew York, New JerseyDaniel Raichel, Lucas Rhoads

This Pollinator week, let’s heed the science and skip the fluff. Here’s how you can take action now to protect pollinators and human health.

Don't Bring General Iron's Mess Down to the Southeast Side

June 9, 2020 Expert BlogChicagoGina Ramirez

Despite the links between air pollution and higher rates of COVID-19 deaths, Chicago’s most vulnerable are still being put in harm's way by the city’s dirtiest industrial facilities.

Life in the Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands

May 8, 2020 Expert BlogTexas, New MexicoJessica Carey-Webb

90 percent of the grassland bird species that breed on the Great Plains in the United States and Canada winter in the grasslands of the Chihuahuan Desert, which encompasses the northwestern region of Mexico, spreading into the states of Arizona…

Reflections on the First Earth Day and What’s Ahead for New York

April 21, 2020 Expert BlogNew YorkRich Schrader

On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, NRDC's New York Political Director reflects on attending the first Earth Day event in New York City in 1970, and far the city has come thanks to New York's leadership on climate.

NYC’s New Plan Would Let Massive Sewage Overflows Continue

February 24, 2020 Expert BlogNew York, New York CityLarry Levine

Almost every time it rains in New York City, raw sewage, pet waste, trash, and polluted runoff flow into waterways where people swim, fish, row, kayak, and boat.

Can a New Tax on Uber and Lyft Rides in Chicago Change Commuting Habits?

February 12, 2020 DispatchChicagoSusan Cosier

A surcharge on trips taken with ride-hailing services could reduce traffic, cut emissions, and help fund much-needed public transit improvements on the South and West Sides of the city.

San Antonio Finds the Key to Flood Control in Its Gardens

December 23, 2019 DispatchSan Antonio, TexasAnne N. Connor

As climate change brings heavier rains, local officials and developers are managing the deluge of stormwater runoff with some low-tech—and pretty—solutions.

Another Forest, This Time Alaska’s Tongass, May Be Destroyed—All for Profit

October 15, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, AlaskaNRDC

On October 28, 2020, the Trump administration announced it will open the state’s pristine old-growth rainforest—the largest in the United States—to the logging industry.

Pebble Mine: Conservation Groups Sue Trump Administration

October 9, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, AlaskaTaryn Kiekow Heimer

Trump administration violated the law by reversing proposed protections for Bristol Bay, Alaska.

Artists and Climate Week at EXPO Chicago

September 17, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, ChicagoAndrew Wetzler

During Climate Week, NRDC's partnership with Moscow’s Garage Museum of Contemporary Art will mobilize action on climate change at EXPO Chicago.

New Film Takes on the Pebble Mine in Defense of Bristol Bay

September 5, 2019 Expert BlogAlaskaJoel Reynolds

A screening of The Wild and a post-film panel is scheduled for September 19, 2019 in Washington, D.C.

Principles for Parks and Equitable Development

August 28, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, MemphisSasha Forbes, AICP

Assets in our communities that offer us increased connectivity, shelter, and planned outdoor spaces can act as triggers that escalate land values which usually price out existing residents, often low-income and people of color, and more often renters. But communities…

Pebble Mine: An Open Letter to CEO, Wheaton Precious Metals

August 27, 2019 Expert BlogAlaskaJoel Reynolds

Bristol Bay coalition dismisses Governor’s claim of outside influence in Pebble Mine opposition, calling claim “demonstrably false” and “insulting to Alaskans,” vowing “we will never relent.”

Showing Migrating Monarch Butterflies Some Southern Hospitality

August 26, 2019 DispatchMexico, Texas, HoustonRobynne Boyd

Non-native tropical milkweed fuels monarchs on their journey through southern states, but when cooler weather hits, the plant can bring parasites and starvation. Here’s what butterfly-loving southerners can do.

The Ohio River Defines the Borders of Five States—But Its Pollution Doesn’t Stop at State Lines

August 21, 2019 DispatchPennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, IllinoisSusan Cosier

In a move that could open the door to industrial waste and interstate squabbles, the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission is making its water quality standards voluntary.

Pebble Mine Environmental Review Falls Flat

August 21, 2019 Expert BlogAlaskaJoel Reynolds

CEO’s enthusiastic spin fails to mask widespread criticism of data gaps, unsupported conclusions, and failure to meet industry standard practice.

How to Win Parks and Influence People, NYC Edition

August 16, 2019 DispatchNew York CityJeff Turrentine

In Manhattan, green-space advocates realized their dream of building Chelsea Green, a new community park, by becoming affordable-housing advocates, too.

That Summer When Climate Change Baked Alaska

August 9, 2019 DispatchAlaskaJeff Turrentine

An Anchorage-based wildlife biologist describes what life is like in our northernmost state—one that’s been dramatically altered by rising temperatures.

Food Service Companies Must Act Following New Climate Report

August 8, 2019 Expert BlogInternational, United States, New York, New York City, CaliforniaSujatha Bergen

A new report released by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change today is the third in six months from the world’s leading experts to show that rising to the challenge of the climate crisis will require not only…