In 1970, the U.S. celebrated its first-ever Earth Day. In that same year, a group of environmental lawyers founded NRDC (that’s us!). We’ve been taking on polluters—and winning—for over 50 years and have no plans on slowing down.
Nobody wants toxic chemicals in our food, water, air, and everyday products. But the chemical industry and congressional Republicans are trying to weaken the laws that protect us from these toxic substances—and are undermining our right to be informed about them.
Polluters are considering a dangerous liquefied natural gas (LNG) project called Amigo LNG right in the heart of the Gulf of California, home to 39% of all marine mammal species on earth. It would rely on technology known for reliability issues, long-term costs, and operating challenges. This would only add new risks to the already significant harms associated with LNG development—especially in an environment that hosts whales, fisheries, mangroves, and coral habitat. We can’t let Big Oil sacrifice this World Heritage site for profit.
The Public Lands Rule was finalized in 2024 and is widely popular among Americans, as it updated the Bureau of Land Management’s framework to consider conservation alongside energy extraction and mining. Despite it being a highly favored law, this administration is lawlessly green-lighting extraction.
Before health protections were put into place, the coal industry and other Big Polluters were allowed to operate unchecked—spewing dangerous pollution into the air we breathe and triggering high rates of lung cancer, heart disease, and other life-threatening health problems. The Trump administration is trying to take us back to that time. In just over a year, it has rolled back dozens of safeguards that are vital to protecting public health, giving some of the nation’s most toxic industries a free pass to pollute once again.
By letting fossil fuel companies bypass Endangered Species Act protections in the Gulf, the Trump administration’s “God Squad” is choosing Big Oil profits over safeguarding endangered species for future generations. This broad, baseless exemption could spell disaster for wildlife across the nation by opening a massive loophole in one of our strongest environmental protections. Speak up to make your voice heard at the link in our bio.
The Trump administration has shifted tactics in their assault on clean energy—now paying companies to cancel planned offshore wind projects. Earlier this year, the administration agreed to pay the company TotalEnergies about $1 billion to ditch plans to build major offshore wind farms off the East Coast. They also handed out nearly $900 million more to other firms to stop similar developments on both coasts that would’ve lowered families’ electricity bills and powered about 4 million homes, at a time when we need it most. After courts repeatedly ruled against the administration’s attempts to halt clean energy development, they’re now trying to find a way around the courts to permanently dismantle the offshore wind industry. This must be stopped.
The Trump administration is moving to end long-standing protections for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, an underwater oasis in the Atlantic Ocean that was previously protected from harmful commercial activity. This monument contains three underwater canyons deeper than the Grand Canyon and four extinct volcanoes—aka seamounts—that are taller than any mountain east of the Rockies. It’s also home to irreplaceable marine life, including whales, sea turtles, puffins, and rare deep-sea corals.
Microplastics are unavoidable. But there are ways we can reduce our exposure and signal to the plastics industry to clean up its act. Visit the link in our bio or stopmicromonsters.org to learn more.
The rapid growth of AI raises environmental justice concerns. Data centers built to keep up with the AI boom drain enormous amounts of energy and water while creating noise and air pollution that harm surrounding neighborhoods.
