Media Center

Court of Appeals Rejects Chemours’s Attempt to Void EPA Health Advisory for GenX in Drinking Water

July 23, 2024 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, DC – The Third Circuit Court of Appeals today rejected arguments by Chemours Company that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) acted unlawfully when it issued a health advisory about the risks of exposure to the PFAS forever chemical…

NRDC Seeks to Defend Biden EPA Restrictions on Forever Chemicals in Drinking Water Water Utilities, Chemical Industry Challenging PFAS Rule 

July 1, 2024 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) moved to intervene to defend the Biden Administration’s restrictions on six toxic PFAS chemicals found in drinking water.

NYC Proposes Bill to Shift Cost of Lead Pipe Replacement to Property Owners

June 18, 2024 Press ReleaseNew York City

The New York City Council has proposed a controversial new bill that would require property owners to take on the task and expense of replacing all of their building’s lead water service lines within the next ten years, costing them thousands…

Let Them Drink PFAS: Chemical Industry, Water Utilities Seek to Block Protections Against Toxic “Forever Chemicals” in Drinking Water

June 10, 2024 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON ­— The chemical industry and water utility trade associations filed lawsuits against the Environmental Protection Agency’s rule to limit six toxic PFAS chemicals in drinking water. PFAS, known as forever chemicals, are infamous for their extreme toxicity, persistence in…

Fixing Flint: Michigan Agrees to Repair Thousands of Yards Damaged by Lead Pipe Replacement

May 29, 2024 Press ReleaseFlint

FLINT, MI – A decade after the Flint water crisis began, the State of Michigan plans to take over the remaining work on Flint’s lead pipe replacement program and will commit additional funding to complete the job, according to a…

NRDC Grades Equity in State Water Infrastructure Policies, Finds Disadvantaged Communities Face Funding Challenges

April 29, 2024 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – The Biden Administration increased federal funding for water infrastructure projects, yet even with more money available, disadvantaged communities face challenges accessing funds to maintain drinking water and wastewater treatment systems, according to new NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council)…

Residents Still Waiting for Flint to Replace All Lead Pipes on 10-Year Anniversary of Water Crisis

April 24, 2024 Press ReleaseDetroit

DETROIT, Mich. – A decade after the Flint water crisis began and more than seven years after a major settlement was reached in the landmark citizen suit against the City of Flint and Michigan state officials, the City of Flint has failed…

Most Public Comments submitted on Safe Drinking Water Rule in History

February 6, 2024 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – Yesterday, as the public comment period closed for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) to address the lead-contaminated drinking water crisis, it is clear that the overwhelming majority of comments support the…

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 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).

“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…

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.