News & Commentary

Holding Mexico Accountable for Vaquita Extinction

March 31, 2021 Expert BlogMexicoZak Smith

Mexico has a choice. It can save the vaquita by enforcing its laws and regulations or it can let the vaquita go extinct. It has already shown that it is inclined to choose extinction. The United States and others, like…

CA and Feds Still Plan to Drain Reservoirs & Kill Salmon

March 29, 2021 Expert BlogCaliforniaDoug Obegi

The State and Feds must act now to increase reservoir storage and take other actions to reduce water temperatures that kill salmon and steelhead.

Stressed by Heat, Farmworkers Deserve Federal Protections

March 26, 2021 Expert BlogCalifornia, Washington, MinnesotaTeniope Adewumi-Gunn

Unprotected from many basic workplace rights and in the face of a growing climate crisis that threatens their well-being, farmworkers deserve federal safeguards from extreme heat and its dangerous effects.

Chance for a More Resilient and Equitable Food System in CA

March 22, 2021 Expert BlogCaliforniaLena Brook, Arohi Sharma

With AB 125, California has an opportunity to reshape our food and farming system to help protect workers in fields, kitchens, and grocery stores while providing our most vulnerable communities improved access to healthy, sustainably produced food.

Proposed Settlement Aims to Clean Up Mercury in the Penobscot River Estuary

March 19, 2021 Expert BlogMaineNancy Marks

After two decades of litigation, a proposed consent decree from Maine People’s Alliance, NRDC, and Mallinckrodt US LLC could accelerate the recovery of Maine’s largest river.

MT Rehashes Old Wildlife Debates Instead of Looking Forward

March 17, 2021 Expert BlogMontanaDr. Jennifer Sherry

Montana's leaders demonstrate disregard for ethics, modern hunting principles, and professional input on wildlife management.

School Districts Commit to Responsibly Raised Turkey

March 11, 2021 Expert BlogNew York City, New York, Los Angeles, California, Dallas, TexasLena Brook

Urban School Food Alliance sets new responsible antibiotics use standard for turkey in school meals.

California Proposes to Transition Away from Toxic Pesticides

March 9, 2021 Expert BlogCaliforniaAllison Johnson

California's proposal to update pesticide fees could offer better protections for farm workers, agricultural communities, and vulnerable ecosystems, as well as help farmers adopt more sustainable practices.

Bad News: CVP and SWP Plan to Drain CA’s Largest Reservoirs

March 1, 2021 Expert BlogCaliforniaDoug Obegi

This would kill most or nearly all the endangered winter-run Chinook salmon this year and threaten the state’s resilience to continued dry conditions.

Taking Care of the Food Workers Who Take Care of Us

February 10, 2021 NRDC in ActionColoradoNicole Greenfield

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the inequities faced by food- and farmworkers who put their health in danger just by coming to work each day. NRDC is pushing to change that.

For a Family in Mexico, a Mission to Protect Monarchs

February 9, 2021 DispatchMexicoNicole Greenfield

Siblings Joel, Anayeli, and Patricio Moreno see the future of their community and that of the butterflies that migrate annually to the local Cerro Pelón forest as being intimately connected.

Protecting the Wintering Home of Migratory Birds

February 4, 2021 Expert BlogTexasJessica Carey-Webb

The Chihuahuan Desert is the largest desert in North America and home to the most biodiverse grasslands in the world, including 500 species of birds.

"We Are the Same as the Salmon": A Story of Suffering and Perseverance

December 17, 2020 DispatchWyoming, Idaho, Oregon, WashingtonNicole Greenfield

Thirty years ago, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes led the effort to save Snake River sockeye salmon from extinction. Today, they’re still fighting for the fish’s survival—along with their own.

Monarch Butterflies Struggle as Feds Delay Protection

December 15, 2020 Expert BlogMexico, United StatesDr. Sylvia Fallon

In the last six years, many voluntary efforts have been made to help boost monarch populations. Now the butterflies will have to wait even longer to receive more help.

COVID-19 Has Exposed the Gross Exploitation of Meatpacking Workers

October 30, 2020 DispatchColoradoNicole Greenfield

The ongoing health and safety failures at the JBS meat-processing plant in Greeley, Colorado, highlight an industry-wide truth: It’s production over people, even in a deadly pandemic.

Systems Based Ag Solutions Required for Systemic Ag Problems

October 29, 2020 Expert BlogCaliforniaArohi Sharma, Lena Brook

Now is the time for reimagining what our natural and working lands, and broader food and agricultural economy, looks like.

CA Rules to Save Bees From Spooky Pesticides Need More Work

October 27, 2020 Expert BlogCaliforniaDaniel Raichel

As other nations act (and the Trump administration dithers) on restrictions to protect bees, birds, fish, and water supplies from neurotoxic neonicotinoid insecticides (AKA, “neonics”), California once again finds itself in the position of trailblazer.

Nature Thrives with Diversity; California's Food Systems Can, Too

October 22, 2020 Expert BlogCaliforniaArohi Sharma

Our decisionmakers need to think long-term and tie economic recovery with support for our small- and mid-sized farmers, our essential workers, and climate-smart agriculture programs.

In Oklahoma, “Yet Another Broken Promise” to Native Americans

October 21, 2020 PerspectivesOklahomaJeff Turrentine

How Governor Stitt teamed up with the head of the EPA to keep tribes from regulating fracking and industrial pollution on their own lands.

Albuquerque Partners with Jicarilla Apache Nation Solar Farm

October 21, 2020 Expert BlogNew Mexico, AlbuquerqueEloisa Portillo-Morales

Known for its beautiful lakes, majestic landscapes, and abundant wildlife, the Jicarilla Apache Nation reservation in northwestern New Mexico will soon become known for another impressive environmental feature: a 400-acre solar farm.