Court Battles

Since our founding in 1970, NRDC has been in court defending the environment and human health. Litigation is in our DNA.

Here, you can follow some of our landmark court battles as well as other legal advocacy, including administrative cases and amicus briefs. Whether up against a fossil fuel corporation or a government agency, NRDC will continue using facts, evidence, and the rule of law to enforce safeguards and hold polluters accountable.

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Featured Court Battles

Center for Biological Diversity et al. v. Bureau of Land Management et al. (Willow Project)

November 13, 2023 Court CaseAlaskaActive

NRDC and partners are suing the agencies that have illegally approved the Willow oil development project—a ticking “carbon bomb”—in Alaska.

NRDC v. EPA (Tetrachlorvinphos)

January 25, 2023 Court CaseUnited StatesActive

NRDC is fighting to ban the use of a dangerous pesticide in household pet products.

Communities for a Better Environment v. Corteva Inc. et al.

February 15, 2022 Court CaseCaliforniaActive

NRDC is working with a top environmental justice watchdog to clean up a chemical plant in California.

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NRDC et al. v. Dan Brouillette et al.

September 20, 2022 Court CaseUnited StatesClosed

The Trump administration’s Energy Department abandoned its obligations to review and update efficiency standards. So we sued—and won.

NRDC et al. v. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration et al.

August 4, 2022 Court CaseUnited StatesClosed

Fuel economy standards are good for our economy and our planet. When the Trump administration unlawfully attempted to weaken enforcement of these standards, we challenged them—and won.

NRDC and United Auto Workers v. Louis DeJoy and U.S. Postal Service

June 21, 2022 Court CaseUnited StatesActive

The USPS’s backward plan to purchase 150,000 gas-powered vehicles is based on an environmental review packed with errors.

Clean Air Carolina, NRDC, and U.S. PIRG v. Department of Transportation et al.

June 13, 2018 Court CaseUnited StatesClosed

When the Federal Highway Administration suspended a commonsense rule to better manage greenhouse gas emissions from highway vehicles, we sued—and the FHA backed down.

NRDC Litigation in Action

A 22-Year Court Battle Ends with Justice for the Penobscot River

October 11, 2022 NRDC in ActionMaineNicole Greenfield

After more than a half century of toxic mercury contamination, Maine’s longest river is finally getting cleaned up—a major win for the public interest over corporate polluters.

Fighting the Tide of Watered Down Justice

December 4, 2019 NRDC in ActionFlint, Michigan, Newark, New JerseyNicole Greenfield

Nearly three years after winning a $97 million legal settlement that required the city of Flint to replace its lead water service lines, NRDC is still on the ground holding officials accountable, and using similar tactics as we demand clean…

America’s Gray Wolves Get Another Chance at Real Recovery

April 21, 2022 NRDC in ActionShelia Hu

After getting last year’s unlawful delisting rule reversed, NRDC is setting the stage for stronger wolf conservation.

The Unlikely Takedown of Keystone XL

June 29, 2021 NRDC in ActionCanada, United States, Nebraska, South Dakota, MontanaCourtney Lindwall

The notorious tar sands pipeline was a lightning rod in the fight against climate change and the seemingly unstoppable oil industry. NRDC advocates were part of a broad coalition that helped stop Keystone XL—for good.

The Revitalization of This Former Coal Town Starts Now

April 1, 2020 NRDC in ActionPeoria, IllinoisNicole Greenfield

Following a landmark settlement agreement, $8.6 million will be invested back into projects that uplift the community of Peoria, Illinois, where a dirty coal plant is scheduled to close by the end of 2022.

A Whale of a Win

May 4, 2016 NRDC in ActionCalifornia, HawaiiNicole Greenfield

How we got the U.S. Navy to finally agree to stop conducting harmful sonar testing in sensitive whale migration and breeding areas.

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