Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund If Congress wants to support a strong American workforce and boost the economy, federal clean energy and vehicle tax incentives are the way to go—consumer savings, and a cleaner, healthier environment will follow for red and blue states alike. That’s why they have drawn strong bipartisan support in […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Today is the 45th anniversary of the adoption of the Clean Water Act. This post takes a quick look at where we were, where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going on clean water policy. The Bad Old Days Before 1972 Congress enacted the law in […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund The Consumer Product Safety Commission voted today to ban five types of phthalates in children’s toys and other products. Mladen Kostic/iStock Phthalates are a particularly harmful type of chemical, used, among a range of other ways, to soften plastic in children’s toys and products like pacifiers and teething […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund This blog post was written by my colleague Lauren Reiser. With major U.S. cities still reeling from the devastation left by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, the threat of climate change to our health and safety is clearer than ever. In addition to the physical dangers posed by […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund SteveAllenPhoto / iStock Two weeks after individual Canadian provinces and territories failed to submit range plans for the threatened boreal caribou, eight major companies have called on the provinces and the federal government to act. The list of signers includes Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, H&M, Ben & Jerry’s […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Ameren Missouri, the Show-me state’s largest utility, is finally coming around to clean energy. In a significant shift, the nation’s second most coal-reliant utility announced last week its plan to dramatically increase its wind and solar investments and significantly cut carbon pollution. Up until now, Ameren’s generation portfolio […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Hurray for CPSC. Phthui for phthalates. CPSC commissioners took an important step today to protect children’s health. Kaushal Karkhanis/Flickr The agency voted to ban five toxic chemicals in children’s toys and child care products. These chemicals—part of a family of chemicals known as “phthalates” (THAL-ates)—are associated with a host of […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Dr. Michael Anthony Mendez on the subject of his new book, Climate Change from the Streets, and the readiness of Latinos to act on climate and justice. Consulting with Sacramento school board president Jay Hansen on vacant land reserved for a 3-acre instructional urban farm and community garden […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund President Trump and EPA chief Scott Pruitt are already doing enough harm. These administration nominees would make things much worse. Just how much damage can President Trump do to our environment and health? We’re finding out. His Environmental Protection Agency chief, Scott Pruitt, is doing all he can to cripple […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt issued a directive today to curb the agency’s so-called “sue-and-settle” practice with outside groups. Mitchell Resnick / White House When the EPA breaks the law by missing deadlines, allowing polluters to violate regulations that protect our health and environment, one way the public holds […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund This blog post was written by my colleague Clare Morganelli. In the wake of Hurricane Maria, the strongest storm to hit the island in 80 years, the American Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is left with an increasingly dangerous health crisis. The tragic situation on the island is unfortunately […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Desperate to shore up aging and uneconomic coal-fired power plants, US Department of Energy Secretary Rick Perry has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to guarantee some plants’ cost recovery and reduce the flow of revenues to cleaner competitors. This bailout and new attack on clean energy […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Transparency or “right-to-know” is a fundamental concept in protecting public health against exposures to toxic chemicals. It refers to the consumer’s or the public’s right to know about what is in the products they use or that are being released into their environment. We should all be able […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund THIS WEEK Climate risk in Central America Renewable energy auction in Argentina Mexican retirement funds invest in renewables To subscribe to NRDC’s Latin America Green News click here. FEATURE: Climate risk in Central America At a meeting in Guatemala, the chief of the Agricultural Development Unit and Climate Change Focal […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund There are three key words to keep in mind when it comes to our nation’s energy future: reliable, clean and secure. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry recently appeared before U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee to try to defend the Department of Energy’s (DOE) mission and […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund The Amur tiger is the extinct Caspian tiger’s closest living relative. Mathias Appel/Flickr Wild tigers may be on their way back to Kazakhstan. This news is surprising for a few reasons. First, most people associate tigers with the jungles of India or Sumatra, even the snowy slopes of […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Welcome to our weekly Trump v. Earth column, in which onEarth reviews the environment-related shenanigans of President Trump and his allies. Pruitt’s Price Tags U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt formally proposed to kill the Clean Power Plan this week. We could spend a lot of time talking about […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Nevada was set to gain 4,500 jobs and further develop its clean energy economy, but that is more difficult now that Trump is trying to undo the Clean Power Plan (CPP). Earlier this week, Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a proposal to eliminate the Clean Power Plan […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Today, the House Natural Resources Committee is considering proposed legislation to transfer permitting of oil and gas activities on your public lands to the states. We all want a secure and prosperous energy future. The question is how to get there. The proposed “Opportunities for the Nation and […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund A happy anniversary is coming up: This Sunday, October 15, will mark five years since the latest clean car and fuel economy standards were adopted. Since then, carbon pollution from new cars has been reduced by 195 million metric tons and drivers have saved more than $42 billion […]