Water will be one of the major environmental issues of the 21st century. It's a natural resource that’s already in short supply across parts of the United States and the world -- and will become even scarcer as our population grows and our climate changes. NRDC is focused on ensuring that the water we have stays clean, that we use it efficiently, and that we build the infrastructure to keep it that way.
Today, California's Governor is signing into law SB 7X 1, part of the legislative package to reform water policy in the state. The bill being signed today builds the foundation for a sustainable 21st century water policy, which is built on two interrelated principles:...continued→
Yesterday, the Governor signed into law SB 7X 7, a bill that NRDC co-sponsored to improve water use efficiency in California. This landmark legislation requires California to achieve a 20% improvement in water use efficiency per person by 2020, making...continued→
Today, after several weeks of obtaining public comment, officials from EPA released a final strategy to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay. The strategy follows an Executive Order from President Obama in June that challenged federal agencies to better...continued→
Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., has introduced a bill to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay. Standing at Sandy Point State Park, a popular beach destination that has been plagued in the past with periodic episodes of bacteria pollution, I could...continued→
Instead of my normal morning bike commute, this morning I made the cold rain-filled walk to the Rayburn House Office Building for an early hearing. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearing called "The Clean Water Act after...continued→
Today, NRDC is releasing Seizing a Watershed Opportunity in the Chesapeake Bay, our report tracking the decline in the Chesapeake Bay's water quality. The report makes it clear that this is a pivotal time for the Bay. The Obama Administration,...continued→
Yesterday morning, as Senators Boxer and Kerry unveiled the Senate's new climate bill, they emphasized that the threat of climate change is about more than just hotter weather. It's about the economy and national security, two issues that are getting...continued→
On Wednesday, Senators John Kerry and Barbara Boxer plan to unveil the Senate's version of climate change legislation, a counterpart to the bill that passed in the House of Representatives this past June. A lot of the attention surrounding the...continued→
Charles Duhigg from the New York Times has written another excellent article on the Clean Water Act - this time on the massive feedlots that dump untreated animal waste into lagoons where it seeps into groundwater, onto vast waste fields...continued→
Never mind that drought, not endangered fish species, is what is driving low water allocations for some farmers in the Central Valley, as both the state and federal governments have recognized numerous times. Never mind that the State's Senior Meteorologist says...continued→
It was great to see Charles Duhigg's article about under-enforcement of water pollution laws yesterday. Quite apart from the water angle, which we obviously care a whole lot about, it was wonderful to see that good print journalism is still...continued→
Today, officials from EPA, the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture will be releasing reports with a series of recommendations to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay. The reports are called for under an Executive Order,...continued→
Today's editorial in the Wall Street Journal tries to blame all of the Central Valley's woes on the tiny delta smelt, and on a lawsuit by NRDC, in order to perpetuate myths about the impacts of protecting endangered species in...continued→
I recently attended a conference about the health of the Mississippi River, and I was struck by a compelling analogy my colleague Matt Rota of the Gulf Restoration Network used to describe the giant Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico. The...continued→
As an urban dweller and water advocate, I love The Huffington Post's contest to rank the best city beaches in the United States. It's true that many of our coastal cities boast some spectacular, easily accessible beaches. But all too...continued→
Yesterday, the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) filed a petition to eliminate environmental protections for California's salmon and other endangered fish. PLF and some water users are trying to perpetuate a myth that Californians must choose between people and fish.Only one...continued→
One of the great things about our country is that the government often must give the public the opportunity to comment on something it is planning on doing, and then must actually consider those comments in making its final decision. ...continued→
NRDC's 19th Annual Beach Report, 5-Star Guide to 200 U.S. Beaches Out Today When you're daydreaming about a trip to the shore this summer - I'm guessing human or animal waste in the waves that can send you running to...continued→
While some Members of Congress and other elected officials have fallen hook, line and sinker for the myth that protecting California's endangered fish species like salmon is a struggle of "people vs fish," other voices are speaking out passionately against...continued→
Over the past 8 years of the Bush Administration, politics trumped science to enable water exports to reach unprecedented levels in California, reaping a host of consequences. One of the consequences was that the state's native fish, particularly salmon, were...continued→
Today, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved the Clean Water Restoration Act, a landmark bill that will reinstate Clean Water Act protections against umpermitted dumping of pollution, filling, or destruction for a host of water bodies jeopardized by a pair of...continued→
As we are waiting for the rain to break here on the East Coast so we can get out to the beach, the Senate is taking a close look at how to make our beaches safer for swimming. Today the...continued→
On Thursday, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is expected to release its biological opinion (BO) on the effects of the state and federal water projects on threatened and endangered runs of salmon, steelhead, green sturgeon, and killer whales. The...continued→
On Wednesday, Bill Reilly, the former Administrator of the EPA under President George H. W. Bush wrote an opinion piece in the San Francisco Chronicle, urging the Governor to lead an effort to reform the agencies that manage (or don't)...continued→
Are you in your office right now? Check out the restroom. Are there low flow toilets? Faucet aerators? How about in the kitchen? Is there an efficient dishwasher? Are you in a hotel? Is there information in your room...continued→
Heading to the beach this summer? Before you go, chat live with NRDC's Nancy Stoner on May 21 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern about beachwater pollution and tips for protecting yourself and your family from waterborne illnesses. Nancy heads the team...continued→
NRDC is one of the more than 50 organizations from throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed joining together today on Capitol Hill to launch a new coordinated campaign to push for stronger federal action on restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. Congressional...continued→
It's that time of year again - Memorial Day - the official start to the summer season and opening day at the beach! Before you dip into the water, though, you should be aware that swimming at your local beach...continued→
The tiny endangered delta smelt has become a popular target for anger over low water allocations this year. It's not a charismatic species - not many people love a three inch long fish that smells like cucumber and lives only...continued→
Today, Senators Boxer (D-CA), Inhofe (R-OK), Cardin (D-MD), and Crapo (R-ID) will introduce the Water Infrastructure Financing Act, which will reauthorize Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water state revolving funds. These funds are the principal federal contribution to funding water...continued→
The temperatures are getting warmer reminding us that summer is right around the corner - and summertime means beachtime! We got some good news for the health of our beaches yesterday from Representative Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and 23 other members...continued→
PBS Frontline has put together a very interesting show about the Chesapeake Bay and Puget Sound that will be broadcast on the evening of April 21. While I haven't seen the whole thing yet, two particular segments caught my attention -...continued→
Even though it hasn't rained in the past couple of days, the past couple days have seen some good news for farmers, urban water agencies and the environment. It's a welcome change from the parade of bad news about water allocations...continued→
The title of this post is stolen from EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, who used the line during a recent public appearance. (Click here, then click on the player button to watch it; the relevant discussion begins at about 15:40.) Administrator Jackson was...continued→
Yesterday, the Pacific Fishery Management Council voted to close the salmon fishing season throughout California in 2009. This will be only the second time in the State's history (last year was the first) that the fishery will be completely shut down. ...continued→
Last week, the House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on California's water supply this year, with particular emphasis on farmers in the Central Valley. Largely as a result of three consecutive dry years, this is going to be a...continued→
It's a good day. Today, Senator Russ Feingold and 23 additional Senators joined to introduce the Clean Water Restoration Act of 2009, a bill that would ensure that the Clean Water Act applies to protect a host of water bodies that...continued→
World Water Day is Sunday. Because I work in NRDC's Water Program, my colleague Melanie Nakagawa encouraged me to offer my two drops, as it were, about the domestic fresh water issues on which we focus. This isn't as easy...continued→
Today, the federal Bureau of Reclamation announced that the Central Valley Project's initial water supply delivery allocations would be extremely low. When faced with a crisis, a community can pull together or pull apart. We believe that the water crisis...continued→
In recent days, there have been various news stories about efforts to weaken environmental protections for fish in the Delta, in order to make more water available for people. After dry years in 2007 and 2008, the low rainfall total...continued→
Today, President Obama signed a $787 billion economic stimulus package. NRDC staff worked hard to ensure that the final package includes funding for cutting edge water solutions to help California meet its needs during the current drought and prepare...continued→
The pundits all debated whether the stimulus bill should change policy or just create jobs, but when it comes to funding water and wastewater infrastructure, it did both. The final legislation put $6 billion into funding ready-to-go water and wastewater...continued→
Almost every day, I bike to work. On the bike path, I get a close-up view of the Potomac River, which makes up the boundary between Washington, D.C., and Virginia. Though it has improved dramatically since the Clean Water Act...continued→
Now that President Obama has taken office, he is hearing lots of ideas from those of us here in DC about what we'd like to see the new President and his team change. I'd like to suggest one idea that is close to his...continued→
Some landscapes, like Yosemite, are literally carved in stone. Others, like the San Francisco Bay-Delta, being formed of humbler and less permanent stuff, are subject to dramatic changes over time. Indeed, we're only starting to understand what a dynamic system...continued→
Imagine your boss gave you a deadline, a really important one. The kind of deadline that affects the bottom line of whatever it is you do profoundly. And let's even imagine your boss tells you the deadline is imposed by...continued→
Congress is about to make a decision that could affect whether your family and future generations will have clean streams to swim in, fish that are safe to eat, and safe, sufficient tap water to meet your needs. What am...continued→
On Tuesday, the Sacramento Bee reported that The Nature Conservancy has conditionally endorsed a Peripheral Canal. News about the canal always travels fast. It's one of the most controversial projects in the contentious history of California water. The canal is...continued→
My colleagues at Heal the Bay in Los Angeles have just released a terrific report on a key water quality issue: toxic discharges of pollution from industry and public wastewater treatment plants in the LA area. In "License to Kill:...continued→
As Congress and state legislatures across the nation debate economic stimulus, investments in green infrastructure -- wind and solar power and expansion of mass transit, for example -- are getting well-deserved attention. The environment is, after all, the foundation of...continued→
The Bureau of Reclamation was conceived at the start of the 20th century (originally as the Reclamation Service) to meet the needs of a world that no longer exists. Now, at the start of the 21st Century, the Bureau needs...continued→
How to generate millions of jobs, break our dependence on oil and reduce the pollution that causes global warming.
