natural resources defense council

The Pebble Mine Is Too Toxic Even for the Trump Administration

The Pebble Mine Is Too Toxic Even for the Trump Administration

In a stunning reversal, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it is suspending its effort to reverse an Obama-era plan to restrict mining in Bristol Bay, Alaska based on a controversial mine project’s risks to the region’s important salmon fisheries and natural resources. The unexpected move from President Trump’s pro-business administration was a blow […]

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    Diablo Canyon Closure Decision Missing Critical Elements

    Diablo Canyon Closure Decision Missing Critical Elements

    By Peter Miller The historic proposal to retire and replace California’s last remaining nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon, was mostly rejected Thursday in a final decision unanimously adopted by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which removed critical elements protecting the climate, plant workers and surrounding communities. The commission voted to approve this decision, setting […]

    4 Tips for Stocking a Kid-Friendly, Nontoxic Kitchen

    4 Tips for Stocking a Kid-Friendly, Nontoxic Kitchen

    By Molly M. Ginty You shun Styrofoam tableware, buy organic oranges and even get your kids to eat leafy greens. But are you doing all you can to protect your children from toxic chemicals that may lurk inside their favorite foods? “When it comes to pesticides, preservatives and other toxic chemicals, you need to set […]

    Zinke Adds Oceans to the Chopping Block

    Zinke Adds Oceans to the Chopping Block

    In late April, President Trump issued an executive order promoting oil and gas drilling off America’s coasts—and Thursday, in response, U.S. Department of the Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke plans to unveil a five-year leasing plan that opens our oceans to dangerous development. Zinke’s plan is intended to replace the five-year plan President Obama issued weeks […]

    This Start-Up Has Figured Out How to Turn Diesel Pollution Into Art

    This Start-Up Has Figured Out How to Turn Diesel Pollution Into Art

    By Clara Chaisson Air pollution isn’t pretty. Worldwide, it’s linked to stroke, heart disease, respiratory problems, low birth weight and millions of premature deaths annually. In the world’s most polluted cities, the particles can be so dense that they obscure the sky and stain everything from clothes to windowpanes. Graviky Labs, an India-based start-up that […]

    The Polar Bear, Climate Change’s Poster Child, Ignites Controversy

    The Polar Bear, Climate Change’s Poster Child, Ignites Controversy

    By Jason Bittel Twenty years ago, polar bears made people think of Coca-Cola. Ten years ago, the bruins became the face of climate change because their melting Arctic ice habitat perfectly captured the dangers of a warming world. More recently, as a direct result of the bears’ environmental poster child status, science deniers have begun […]

    China on Track to Establish Carbon Market as U.S. Withdraws From Climate Stage

    China on Track to Establish Carbon Market as U.S. Withdraws From Climate Stage

    China unveiled the details on Tuesday of what is soon to be the world’s largest carbon market, two years after China’s president Xi announced the initiative. Although the market launch date wasn’t revealed, observers saw today’s announcement as a noteworthy step. “This is like the pyramids of Giza for climate policy,” Nathaniel Keohane, the vice […]

    5 Environmental Triumphs Over Trump in 2017

    5 Environmental Triumphs Over Trump in 2017

    By Clara Chaisson From his flagrant dismissal of the scientific consensus on manmade climate change to his eagerness to see treasured landscapes degraded by extractive industries, Trump‘s disregard for clean air, drinkable water and natural heritage has been relentless during the first year of his presidency. Not only are his anti-environmental actions wrong, but many […]

    ‘The Wrong Mine in the Wrong Place’: Former Republican EPA Administrators Blast Alaska Mining Project

    ‘The Wrong Mine in the Wrong Place’: Former Republican EPA Administrators Blast Alaska Mining Project

    By Taryn Kiekow Heimer An U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator under every Republican presidential administration since the EPA was created, except the Ford administration, whose administrator is deceased, have joined forces to make a statement in opposition to the Pebble Mine proposed in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Their statement appeared Tuesday as a full-page ad […]