NRDC in the News - Weekly Highlights: Week of May 15, 2017

The New York Times spoke to Erik Olson about chlorpyrifos, a toxic pesticide widely used in agriculture which NRDC has petitioned the E.P.A. to ban. “The E.P.A. has twice made a formal determination that this chemical is not safe. The agency cannot just decide not to act on that,” Erik explained.

Walton Shepherd praised Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe’s forward-thinking climate regulations, reducing emissions from power plants and emphasizing clean energy, in The Washington Post. In lieu of strong federal action, combined state-level efforts like McAuliffe’s “will drive significant enough changes to honor of international agreements,” he said. Waltonwas also quoted in InsideClimate News and Morning Consult.

Taryn Kiekow-Heimer spoke to The Guardian after the E.P.A. allowed a Canadian-owned mining company to seek federal permit near Alaska’s Bristol Bay, a vital resource to the indigenous community, salmon fisherman, and local economy. “Bristol Bay is too important – economically, environmentally, and culturally – to be sacrificed for the sake of a mine,” Taryn said. She also spoke to Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post.

A CNN online photo slideshow of the ten most carbon-intensive foods in the American diet was based on the findings of a study authored by Sujatha Bergen. Organic Authority featured Carmen Cordova discussing NRDC’s antibiotics scorecard for America’s top grocery chains (spoiler: they all got Ds), and Darby Hoover spoke to Huffington Post about recycling rules, which she said can vary widely between municipalities and change without much notice.

Anjali Jaiswal was quoted by the The Washington Post on the new air quality index and pollution system NRDC helped devise and implement in Ahmadabad, India. She was also quoted in India’s The Hindu.

Jackson Morris discussed the struggling nuclear industry lobbying state governments for help on NPR’s “All Things Considered,” saying nuclear energy may have low-carbon attributes but “it’s by no means on the same playing field as truly renewable resources, like wind, solar, and energy efficiency.”

Alex Jackson told E&E News there’s enough uncertainty about California’s cap-and-trade program that in the absence of legislative action reauthorizing it after 2020, California will be “navigating between Scylla and Charybdis.” He also told theAssociated Press that the program is a good starting point, but can be improved.

Scott Slesinger co-authored an Op-Ed on Trump’s damaging 2-for-1 executive order for Regulatory Review. In Yahoo! News Scott condemned the Regulatory Accountability Act as a bill “for polluters and others who want to escape accountability — not for the American people.” He also spoke to Morning Consult.

John Moore told The Hill that he hopes Trump’s nominees to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will abide by facts, not political arguments in favor of fossil fuels. David Doniger was quoted in InsideClimate News on the uncertain future of Obama’s Clean Power Plan.

Pierre Delforge spoke to Discovery’s Seeker about the huge potential for energy efficiency in U.S. data centers.Samantha Williams expounded on economic theory in Midwest Energy News, and NRDC was quoted in northern California’s NPR station KQED in support of floating solar panels on man-made water surfaces.

Stephanie Gidigbi and Mae Wu were quoted by E&E News on Trump’s proposed infrastructure bill. Stephanie said she hopes lawmakers will take environmental justice concerns into account when crafting the bill, noting that “communities have clear plans, what they lack is the dollars.”

Zak Smith spoke to Alaska’s KHNS Radio about potential impacts of the elephant ivory ban on the walrus ivory used by Alaska Native carvers.

Jake Schmidt and Han Chen argued in Alternet that as thirty countries, including China, agree on the urgency of climate action, Trump risks making the U.S. a global pariah. Jake was also quoted by E&E News on the topic.

NRDC’s “Threats on Tap” report, which found widespread violations in drinking water contamination levels, continued to garner attention in outlets such as Daily Mail, Patch, EGP News, and Pensacola News Journal.