Media Center

Radhika Fox Departing EPA [NRDC Reaction]

January 10, 2024 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

EPA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water Radhika Fox announced that she will be leaving the Agency next month.

Lead Pipes Must Be Removed Under EPA’s Proposed Water Rule, Finally Fulfilling Congress’ Mandate to Set Safe Water Protections

November 30, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

A new rule proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today sets the stage for every lead water pipe in the nation to be replaced, with the vast majority expected to be removed in the next ten years.

“Staggering” Health Benefits from Replacing Lead Water Pipes Could Save as Much as $6 Billion in California from Avoided Health Impacts

October 25, 2023 Press ReleaseSacramento

Replacing every lead pipe that delivers drinking water to homes in California would yield as much as $6 billion dollars in avoided health costs, according to a new state-by-state analysis released today from NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). “Getting the…

“Staggering” Health Benefits From Replacing Lead Water Pipes Could Save Nearly $1 Trillion from Avoided Health Impacts

October 25, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

Replacing every lead pipe that delivers drinking water to homes nationwide would yield hundreds of billions of dollars in avoided health costs, according to a new state-by-state analysis released today from NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council).

Michigan Set to Enact Nation’s Strongest Measures to Protect Kids from Lead in Schools and Childcare Centers

October 19, 2023 Press ReleaseMichigan

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is expected to sign into law landmark legislation that sets the national standard for protecting kids from lead in drinking water at schools and in childcare centers by requiring these facilities to install and maintain lead-removing…

California Could Lose Hundreds of Millions of Dollars for Lead Contamination Protections (Again)

September 29, 2023 Press ReleaseSacramento

Public health and environmental organizations urged stronger State leadership in efforts to remove lead from drinking water infrastructure throughout California. In a support letter, the organizations called on the California State Water Resources Control Board to address the state’s disturbing…

NRDC Digital Tool Tracks Political Opposition to Offshore Drilling

September 21, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is launching an updated digital tool today to help people track where their Members of Congress stand on offshore oil and gas drilling. The Biden administration is expected to release a final five-year plan for federal…

Army Corps Considers Continued Operation of Destructive Dakota Access Pipeline

September 8, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a draft environmental impact statement today for the operation of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which threatens the lands, water supply, and valuable cultural resources of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

“Forever Chemicals” Data from EPA Shows Widespread Contamination but Is “Most Certainly” an Underestimate of PFAS Contaminating Tap Water

August 17, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) released the first tranche of testing data for PFAS in drinking water that found hundreds of water systems are contaminated with the toxic “forever chemicals.”

NRDC: Biden Protects Iconic Grand Canyon Lands and Waters

August 8, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON (Aug. 8, 2023) — President Biden today established the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni - Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, under the Antiquities Act, permanently protecting more than 900,000 acres of some of the most iconic landscape…

House Majority’s Bill on Environmental Funding Is Atrocious

July 18, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – The razor-thin House majority, after weeks of delay and concessions to the most extreme elements of its fractured conference, has put forward its version of the annual appropriations bill that funds most of the federal government’s environmental programs and priorities. The…

Report: An Estimated One in Five New Yorkers May Be Drinking Water from Lead Service Lines

July 18, 2023 Press ReleaseNew York City

According to a new report, No Excuses, NYC: Replace Lead Drinking Water Pipes Now, an estimated one in five New Yorkers, or 21% of the City’s residents, may be drinking water transported through lead service lines.

Contempt Motion Filed against City of Flint and Mayor for Failing to Meet Court Deadlines in Lead Pipe Replacement Settlement

May 26, 2023 Press ReleaseDetroit

The City of Flint and Mayor Sheldon Neeley should be held in contempt for violating a February 2023 federal court order requiring Flint to reach certain milestones in its lead pipe replacement program, according to a motion filed today in…

Supreme Court Dramatically Narrows Scope of Clean Water Act

May 25, 2023 Press ReleaseUnited States

The Supreme Court today stripped out key protections from the Clean Water Act, weakening the law, and narrowing its ability to defend the quality of the nation’s waterways.

NRDC Analysis: Peer-Reviewed Study Finds EPA Misses PFAS Chemicals Already Present in Drinking Water 

April 12, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

Nearly half of the PFAS “forever chemicals” present in drinking water samples are not monitored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to a peer-reviewed analysis conducted by NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) and community members in 16 states.

NRDC: Biden Stood up for Clean Water

April 6, 2023 Press Release

WASHINGTON — President Biden vetoed a Congressional Review Act resolution that would have weakened protections under the Clean Water Act and tied the hands of future presidents trying to rectify the damage.

EPA Announces Change to Funding For Lead Pipe Replacement: New Distribution Will Be Based on Need

April 4, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced changes that are intended to direct the remaining funds from the $15 billion infrastructure dollars for replacing lead water pipes to states with the greatest need.

Bill to Help Those Facing Water Shut-Offs Heads to Governor Murphy’s Desk

March 30, 2023 Press ReleaseNew Jersey

The New Jersey legislature just passed a bill that requires all water and sewer utilities to participate in the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) and promote the program to their customers, or else are prohibited from shutting off…

Historic PFAS Drinking Water Regulations Proposed by EPA

March 14, 2023 Press ReleaseUnited States

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to set limits on the amounts of six toxic “forever” chemicals found in drinking water.

Federal Judge Finds Flint Violated Settlement, Orders City to Finish Lead Pipe Replacements and Restore Residents’ Damaged Property

February 27, 2023 Press ReleaseFlint

A federal court has found that the City of Flint missed a court-ordered deadline to finish removing Flint’s lead pipes and failed to track where it fixed damage to residents’ properties. As a result of the late Friday ruling, the…