Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund “The problems faced by orcas and salmon are human-caused, and we as Washingtonians have a duty to protect these species,” Governor Jay Inslee said yesterday at the signing of an Executive Order that established a new Southern Resident Killer Whale Recovery Task Force. “The impacts of letting these […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states have an opportunity to unlock the benefits of clean, modern, and accessible transportation solutions. Who hasn’t had a day ruined by a traffic jam or a delayed train, bus, or subway when trying to get their kids to school, get to work, or get […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Lake Mohonk, Hudson Valley, New York iStock When the state of New York banned fracking in 2015 after years of steady pressure from grassroots activists and environmental groups, it became the first state with natural gas reserves to prohibit the controversial extraction method. In the nearly three years […]
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. Stalling on Smog A federal judge this week ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to implement long-delayed anti-smog rules. The order adds yet another twist to a winding and unnecessary saga […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund The amount of energy consumed by the set-top boxes used to access pay TV in our homes is due to go down another 20 percent due to new commitments made by leading service providers such as Comcast, AT&T, and Dish Network. This progress is the result of a […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund In yet another step to dismantle critical protections for our air and climate, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has proposed to withdraw the EPA’s guideline for states to reduce smog-forming air pollution from oil and gas production, processing, and transmission activities. If this latest rollback goes final and withstands court […]
Published by the World Wildlife Fund A group of Marylanders wended through a narrow underground passage painted in peach and punctuated by a series of doorways leading to halls and rooms unknown. The path led them to a stone spiral staircase and when they reached the top, a door swung open to a far grander space: […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund The United States Coast Guard issued its Ports and Waterways Safety Assessment (PAWSA) Report for the Hudson River yesterday. Notably, it did not include a plan to add additional anchorages, places for ships to anchor, along any part of the Hudson River, making this the latest victory in […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund A flamingo in Fort Myers, Florida © Ray Hennessy With stilts for legs and necks as long as your arm, American flamingos can stand nearly five feet tall. When it’s time to breed, these coral-colored birds hustle about in perfectly orchestrated dance groups that are both hilarious and […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund This blog was written with contributions by Brian Siu, Director of Federal Affairs for NRDC. Why are members of the Senate planning to weaken environmental protections? In a prelude to voting on anti-environmental legislation, Senator Barrasso, chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, will hold a […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund In recent weeks, there have been howls of protest aimed at the California Water Commission from the proponents of big new dams like Temperance Flat and Sites Reservoir, because the Commission rigorously reviewed the applications for Prop 1 funding to ensure that they really are eligible for public […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Lead Testing Exceeds State Levels in 82 Percent of New York State Public Schools Part II: Analyzing the lead testing data Co-author: Claire L. Barnett, Founder and Executive Director, Healthy Schools Network* We previously wrote about the problem of lead in drinking water in New York public schools and […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund “Sunny day” flooding in downtown Miami, Florida (October 17, 2016). Source: WikiMedia Commons America has a flooding problem. In 2017, the federal government declared 44 major disaster events that involved flooding and hurricanes, surpassing 2016, in which 36 major flood-related or hurricanes disasters were declared. Adoption of a […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund The state of Illinois is in danger of missing a unique opportunity to clean up its transportation sector. The Volkswagen settlement issued in 2016 and finalized last October is the result of the company getting caught foisting dirty diesel cars on the public. Based on the number of […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund There are at least 15 massive new fracked gas pipelines planned or under development in the Appalachian region, with more proposed for other regions. These new pipelines are expected to lead to enormous increases in fracking and new threats to clean air, clean water, and the climate. They […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund In testimony to Congress last year, the newly installed Energy secretary Rick Perry famously wiped his hands of the White House’s embarrassing budget proposal, saying it didn’t reflect his policy priorities. Eliminate funding for energy innovators through ARPA-E? Slash funding for the department’s treasured national labs? Scrap […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund A firsthand experience with the Pacific gray whales in Laguna San Ignacio confirmed the extraordinary achievement from NRDC’s past work—and our oncoming challenges. NRDC president Rhea Suh photographs a Pacific gray whale in Laguna San Ignacio Laguna San Ignacio is so much more than a sheltered cove off […]
Published by the World Wildlife Fund Up to half of plant and animal species in the world’s most naturally rich areas—including the Amazon and the Galápagos—could face extinction by the turn of the century due to climate change if carbon emissions continue to rise unchecked. A new study examines various climate change scenarios—from 4.5°C rise in […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Michigan recently proposed changes to a drinking water safeguard known as the Lead and Copper Rule, which is supposed to help remove lead from drinking water. But it may not live up to this expectation because it allows water utilities to do what are called partial lead service […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund This blog post was co-authored with legal intern Anthony Raduazo. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit heard oral arguments today in a case, Coalition for Competitive Electricity v. Zibelman, that will decide the fate of New York’s Zero Emissions Credits program. […]