News & Commentary

Industry Bids on 1.7 Million Acres for New Offshore Drilling

December 20, 2023 Expert BlogTexas, Louisiana, Mississippi, AlabamaRebecca Loomis

BOEM's offshore oil and gas lease sale offered nearly 73 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico to the fossil fuel industry.

Holding BOEM Accountable for Offshore Leasing Reform

November 3, 2023 Expert BlogTexas, Louisiana, Mississippi, AlabamaRebecca Loomis

New offshore leasing proposed by BOEM would cause unacceptable harm to our climate, ocean, and Gulf communities. But agency reforms can help lessen the impacts.

Biden Administration Expands the Gulf's Waters to Oil and Gas Drilling

October 3, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, TexasAndrew Wetzler

The region's communities and marine life will continue to be exposed to the catastrophic risk and ongoing damage of these inherently hazardous industrial operations at sea.

Taxpayers Still on Hook for Oil and Gas Clean-up, Despite New Rule

September 25, 2023 Expert BlogTexas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, AlaskaRebecca Ramirez

BOEM's proposed rule falls short in requiring oil and gas companies to demonstrate they are financially able to fully remove and clean up platforms & pipelines.

Advancing Sanitation Equity in the 2023 Farm Bill

July 27, 2023 Expert BlogAlabama, United StatesBecky Hammer

Increased and better-targeted USDA funding could help rural communities address sanitation challenges that threaten public health.

Winter Storm Elliott Report Highlights the Risk of Natural Gas Failures

July 20, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, East, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, TexasDana Ammann

PJM’s report on Winter Storm Elliott found that gas generators were responsible for 70 percent of forced outages during December 2022. Climate change will only intensify future severe weather. 

Study Shows 14,000 Unplugged Oil and Gas Wells in Gulf of Mexico

May 23, 2023 Expert BlogTexas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, FloridaRebecca Loomis, Rebecca Ramirez

Industry has neglected thousands of unused oil and gas wells in the Gulf of Mexico. They will cost an estimated $30 billion to plug and decommission.

Rate Increases and Blackouts: Duke Energy’s Strategy for 2023

April 6, 2023 Expert BlogNorth Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, EastLuis Martinez

Duke failed to keep the lights on last December, but it is now pursuing enormous rate increases of more than 30 percent to help pay for fossil fuels and huge executive salary raises.

Holding Interior to Account on Gulf Oil and Gas Leasing

March 6, 2023 Expert BlogAlabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, TexasIrene Gutierrez

Continuing to extract oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico will have a steep price for the environment and coastal communities in the region. That's why NRDC and our partners took BOEM to court.

It’s Time to Transition Away from Offshore Oil Leasing

October 6, 2022 Expert BlogAlaska, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, FloridaIrene Gutierrez

Despite Climate Dangers, Offshore Leasing Continues in Gulf

November 17, 2021 Expert BlogUnited States, Louisiana, Florida, Texas, Mississippi, AlabamaValerie Cleland, Lauren Kubiak

This morning, the Biden administration held the largest offshore oil and gas lease sale in U.S. history. Though the Biden administration has been bold on climate in other ways, this latest action is profoundly disappointing.

Despite Climate Red Alert, Interior Moves on Gulf Lease Sale

September 10, 2021 Expert BlogUnited States, Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, TennesseeLauren Kubiak, Valerie Cleland

Continuing to offer more offshore oil lease sales is not the path to meeting the Biden Administration’s climate goals.

NRDC Sues to Challenge Seismic Testing in the Gulf of Mexico

July 22, 2021 Expert BlogTexas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, FloridaMichael Jasny

Among the animals at greatest risk from the impacts of seismic testing is the Gulf of Mexico whale—one of the most endangered marine mammals on the planet.

Alabama’s Waterways, Wildlife, and Recreation Are Up a Creek with Trump’s “Dirty Water Rule”

June 29, 2020 DispatchAlabamaRobynne Boyd

The rollback jeopardizes the streams that flow into the state’s rivers, lakes, and bays, millions of acres of wetlands across the country, and the drinking water supply.

A Translator for the Climate Crisis, Grief Included

May 4, 2020 NRDC in ActionNew York City, New York, Birmingham, AlabamaKaren L. Smith-Janssen

Writer, editor, teacher, and podcast host Mary Annaïse Heglar uses the art of storytelling to help people feel less alone in facing the climate crisis—and to build the movement for climate justice.

It’s the 21st Century—Alabamans Shouldn’t Have to Worry About Hookworms

July 30, 2018 DispatchAlabamaNicole Greenfield

In Lowndes County, raw sewage is backing up into homes, flooding yards, and giving rise to long-eradicated parasites.

The South Is Warming Up to Solar

May 11, 2018 DispatchGeorgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, MississippiRobynne Boyd

In the past five years, solar capacity in the South has increased nearly thirtyfold.

The Effort to Replant the “Amazon of the South”

September 25, 2017 DispatchGeorgia, Florida, AlabamaRobynne Boyd

These Southerners are bringing the longleaf pine forest back—with some love, seeds, fire, and snakes.

Saving Salamanders Over a Pint

May 4, 2017 DispatchAlabamaJason Bittel

Alabama’s threatened salamanders get a little help from a local brewery.

Why Build a Seawall When You Can Plant Some Grass?

September 15, 2016 DispatchAlabamaRobynne Boyd

As the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers considers including “living shorelines” among its preferred erosion controls, Alabama is already leading the way to healthier coasts.