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

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)

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.

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

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Healthy Gulf v. FERC (Commonwealth LNG)

Court CaseLouisianaClosed
A massive new liquefied natural gas export facility has been approved in an already overburdened environmental justice community. So we’re suing.

Keystone XL Pipeline Lawsuits

Court CaseNebraska, South Dakota, MontanaClosed
The massive pipeline threatened our climate and public health—and the government’s approvals violated environmental laws. So we went to court.

NRDC et al. v. Dan Brouillette et al.

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. County of Dickson et al.

Court CaseTennessee, DicksonClosed
In the 1960s, manufacturing companies in Tennessee dumped a toxic industrial solvent that causes cancer, as well as reproductive and neurological harm, into an unlined landfill. NRDC helped to hold the companies to account.

Migratory Bird Treaty Act Lawsuits

Court CaseUnited StatesClosed
To reinstate bedrock protections for more than 1,000 species of birds, NRDC and partners challenged a radical reinterpretation of the MBTA.

Dirty Water Rule

Court CaseUnited StatesClosed
The Trump-era rule narrowed the scope of the Clean Water Act by revoking federal protections for countless streams, wetlands, and other waters.

NRDC v. Federal Communications Commission

Court CaseUnited StatesClosed
The FCC attempted to sidestep environmental review and public participation concerning the deployment of 5G wireless infrastructure. NRDC and our allies challenged their moves in court–and won.

NRDC et al. v. McCarthy et al.

Court CaseUtahClosed
When the BLM reopened the area around Utah’s Factory Butte to unrestricted off-road vehicle use, it put this fragile ecosystem at risk.

NRDC Litigation in Action

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A river flows through a flat forested landscape covered in snow

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

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

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…
A gray wolf walks along the edge of a waterfall with a forest in the background

America’s Gray Wolves Get Another Chance at Real Recovery

NRDC in ActionShelia Hu
After getting last year’s unlawful delisting rule reversed, NRDC is setting the stage for stronger wolf conservation.
Young people carry protest signs that read "kill the drill" and "oil spills its poison."

The Unlikely Takedown of Keystone XL

NRDC in ActionNebraska, South Dakota, Canada, 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

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

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.