I'm a lawyer by training, but an ecologist at heart. Though I have long been fascinated by how the physical environment affects plants and critters and vice-versa, I chickened out on being a real scientist in college. So, I get my fix by working on issues related to the health of our surface waters and the aquatic ecosystem. I came to NRDC from EPA, where I worked on air pollution issues, an area that I was lucky to first learn about by working in the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. My family -- a partner who is a civil rights attorney and two sons who are fascinated by space, wizards, and bathroom humor -- are remarkably indulgent of my various environmental demands around the house.
Posted April 10, 2012 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Green Enterprise, U.S. Law and Policy
Here’s the thing – New England is pretty much the best place on Earth. Oh sure, there are more beautiful places and there are places with less aggressive drivers and less fun-to-imitate accents, but to me New England is home...continued→
Posted March 14, 2012 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
One of the things I like best about working at NRDC is that I can call things as I see them, even when that means confronting people and institutions that we often trust and support. For instance, in a pair...continued→
Posted February 14, 2012 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
President Obama released his budget proposal yesterday, and several of my colleagues are noting some highlights and lowlights in the package. I noticed one that belongs solidly in the latter category. The detailed document summarizing the plans for spending by...continued→
Posted February 2, 2012 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
Cowboys have known for years to “always drink upstream from the herd.” And although the lone, Stetson-wearing cowpoke roaming the prairie is becoming as rare as the jackalope, his advice is as poignant as ever-- animals poop, and their manure...continued→
Posted November 16, 2011 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Green Enterprise, U.S. Law and Policy
As my colleague David Beckman wrote today, NRDC released a new report called Rooftops to Rivers II. Our study presents the pollution problems caused by stormwater – particularly contaminated runoff and sewage overflows – and discusses in depth how communities use...continued→
Posted November 14, 2011 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
As early as this week, the Senate will consider a funding bill for Energy and Water Development, and will be asked to undermine safeguards for a host of water bodies under the Clean Water Act. Senators Barrasso (R-WY) and Heller...continued→
Posted October 5, 2011 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
This post was co-written with my colleague, Ben Chou. Deregulation is the flavor of the month in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Congress is Baskin-Robbins. Recently, Representative Don Young (R-AK) made headlines by saying he was going to introduce legislation...continued→
Posted August 25, 2011 by Jon Devine in Solving Global Warming
As Hurricane Irene pushes closer and closer, East Coasters are nervously tracking her course and bracing for impact. I, for one, am trying to impress upon my wife and kids – presently vacationing on a barrier island south of Long Island,...continued→
Posted July 26, 2011 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Environmental Justice, Health and the Environment, Living Sustainably, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places, U.S. Law and Policy
Last week, I wrote about two handfuls of dirty water “riders” in the House of Representatives’ funding bill for EPA and the Department of the Interior. This week, the bill is being considered on the House floor, and yet even...continued→
Posted July 21, 2011 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Environmental Justice, Health and the Environment, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places, U.S. Law and Policy
Today the Environmental Protection Agency issued its final advice to its field staff about how they should consider scientific evidence of the downstream impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining when reviewing proposed permits for those mines. This guidance document, as it...continued→
Posted July 18, 2011 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, Living Sustainably, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places, U.S. Law and Policy
I am not ashamed to admit it: I am middle-aged and love the “Harry Potter” series – so much so that I have been thinking hard about how to write a blog post about work and the new Harry Potter movie,...continued→
Posted June 29, 2011 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
The Fourth of July is just around the corner – and Americans nationwide are breaking out their swimsuits, loading up their cars and heading to the beach. It’s a summer rite of passage – but unfortunately it can also make...continued→
Posted June 22, 2011 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, The Media and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, led by Chairman John Mica of Florida with the cooperation of the panel's lead Democrat, Representative Nick Rahall of West Virginia, today approved a bill to repeal key components of the Clean Water Act. ...continued→
Posted June 16, 2011 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, Living Sustainably, U.S. Law and Policy
On Tuesday, I wrote about a dirty water rider in the appropriations bill for energy and water development for fiscal year 2012. In addition to being bad legislating – it co-opts the usual process of considering major policy changes and...continued→
Posted June 14, 2011 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
Uh oh. Here they go again. You may remember that the new House leadership a couple months ago took the nation to the brink of a government shutdown, fighting for a spending bill to which they’d attached a pile of...continued→
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