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 June 10, 2013 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Environmental Justice, Green Enterprise, U.S. Law and Policy
It’s raining today in the DC area, which makes me think about water pollution. When it rains here – or wherever you are – the water hitting hard surfaces like buildings, parking lots and roadways is unable to seep into the ground or...continued→
Posted April 25, 2013 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Environmental Justice, U.S. Law and Policy
During his confirmation hearing to become the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts famously analogized the role of a judge to that of a baseball umpire, saying: Umpires don't make the rules; they apply them. The role of...continued→
Posted February 21, 2013 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
Over a period of several months, NRDC and the Pew Charitable Trusts have successfully pressed EPA for information it has collected on a major source of water pollution –large livestock operations, often known as factory farms or concentrated animal feeding...continued→
Posted February 13, 2013 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
[Co-authored with my colleague, John Walke] The House Science Subcommittee on Environment is holding its first hearing of the 113th Congress entitled “The State of Environment: Evaluating Progress and Priorities.” With their two announced witnesses, the Republican majority is signaling...continued→
Posted February 8, 2013 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Green Enterprise, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
There’s been a lot of press recently about a recent water pollution decision by a judge in Virginia. At its core, the decision said that the Environmental Protection Agency couldn’t use stormwater volume as a proxy for sediment pollution when...continued→
Posted December 22, 2012 by Jon Devine in Environmental Justice, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
Joan Mulhern, my friend, a fellow clean water advocate, and a mentor, passed away on Tuesday. I hope everyone will read the touching tribute that her Earthjustice colleague, Marty Hayden, wrote. Our community has suffered a tremendous loss, not just...continued→
Posted October 18, 2012 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Green Enterprise, Health and the Environment, Living Sustainably, U.S. Law and Policy
It’s the 40th anniversary of the passage of the Clean Water Act. As those of us who have passed the big 4-Oh have experienced, that birthday has some real significance; it certainly made me reflect on my life so far...continued→
Posted October 18, 2012 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
This post was authored by Naveen Adusumilli, an NRDC Science Fellow and Economist I grew up in Hyderabad, India -- a place that once had more than 300 small and large lakes. Years later, while I was spending my summer...continued→
Posted October 5, 2012 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Green Enterprise, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
In scanning the Classified ads section of the paper recently, I came across the item below. The ad seeks bids to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, most likely to help meet nitrogen and phosphorus control targets...continued→
Posted September 21, 2012 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, U.S. Law and Policy
On my bike ride into work today, I was stopped in my tracks by the scene pictured below – huge, billowing piles of some kind of foamy substance flowing out of a storm drain and into Four Mile Run, a...continued→
Posted July 24, 2012 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Environmental Justice, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
Back in March, a California dairy found itself in the news when state water quality inspectors discovered 50 manure-covered decomposing cow carcasses lying around the property, along with evidence of manure being handled in a variety of ways that could...continued→
Posted July 16, 2012 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
Congress is in the process of considering the Farm Bill, a colossal piece of legislation that sets national agriculture policy. But some members are apparently less interested in crafting a sensible bill, and instead are trying to take advantage of...continued→
Posted June 27, 2012 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Green Enterprise, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
Happy Testing the Waters Day! Today, NRDC releases its annual report on beach closings and swimming advisories and information on monitored water quality at thousands of beaches across the nation’s coasts and Great Lakes shores. It’s also the first day in a...continued→
Posted June 19, 2012 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Environmental Justice, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
The U.S. Senate has been working to consider and adopt the Farm Bill, a colossal piece of legislation that sets national agriculture policy. After a major push by several Senators to take advantage of their colleagues' strong desire to pass...continued→
Posted June 1, 2012 by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
As I forecast yesterday, the House just voted on an amendment offered by Representatives Moran (D-VA) and Dingell (D-MI) to the spending bill that funds the Army Corps of Engineers, which would have enabled experts at the Corps to continue to work...continued→
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