From all of us at NRDC, Happy New Year and thank you for your hard work and support. 2023 brings new opportunities to build a cleaner, more equitable, and more prosperous future — such as delivering on the promise of the Inflation Reduction Act, ensuring safe drinking water for all, fighting climate change, and so much more. Stay tuned for updates from us on how to get involved in these critical fights — and get started right now by diving our first issue of the year below.

Methane is the fastest-growing contributor to the climate crisis. It packs more than 80 times the climate punch of carbon dioxide in the two decades after it is released, and is harming the health of our families and communities across the country.

One of the surest ways we can fight the climate crisis is to cut methane and other pollutants at the source — and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a new proposal to do just that.

From now until February 13, EPA is soliciting comments on the new rule. This is our chance to make our voices heard and urge the EPA to move full speed ahead to finalize STRONG methane protections without delay.

Tell EPA to adopt the strongest standards to cut methane pollution from the fossil fuel industry — the quickest, most cost-effective way to slow the rate of climate change and protect our health.

Last month, the U.S. EPA released a recommendation under the Clean Water Act that, if finalized, would block the Pebble Mine — a giant gold and copper mine proposed at the headwaters of the world's greatest wild salmon fishery in Bristol Bay, Alaska — and restrict future mining in certain headwaters of Bristol Bay.

This is BIG news. The disastrous proposed Pebble Mine has been threatening to destroy Alaska's pristine Bristol Bay for more than two decades. If fully developed, the Pebble Mine would produce up to 10 billion tons of mining waste that would forever destroy the largest wild sockeye salmon runs in the world.

Thanks to EPA, we are closer than ever before to enacting durable, long-lasting protections for Bristol Bay — but the fight's not over yet. We must push EPA to finalize its recommendation and stop this toxic mega-mine for good.

Take action: Urge EPA to put a permanent end to the Pebble Mine and finalize STRONG protections for Alaska's Bristol Bay.

• Big Win: Congress Takes Action to Protect Endangered Whales: Congress's recently passed defense spending package includes critical measures to protect marine mammals from the impacts of ships and other vessels. Ship collisions and chronic vessel noise are key contributors to the decline of endangered whale populations like the North Atlantic right whale and the Southern Resident orca. Read more >
• U.S. Postal Service Finally Gets the Message on Clean Vehicles: The U.S. Postal Service announced that it plans to significantly increase its purchases of electric delivery vehicles as it transitions to buying nearly all electric vehicles in a few years. This is a dramatic turnaround for the USPS, expanding an initial plan to purchase just 10% electric delivery vehicles to more than 75%. Read more >
• EPA Will No Longer Defend Weak Lead in Tap Water Rule in Court: Siding with NRDC and our partners, the U.S. EPA has announced that it will no longer defend the weak Lead and Copper Rule set by the Trump administration, which would have left millions of people exposed to toxic lead in drinking water. EPA will propose a new rule by late 2023. Read more >
• Feds Say Climate Change is Killing Whitebark Pine Trees In Historic ESA Listing: In response to a petition from NRDC, whitebark pine, a wide-ranging species of tree found on mountain tops in much of western North America, is now protected under the Endangered Species Act. The listing explicitly notes the tree faces an "imminent" risk of extinction brought on, in part, by climate change. Read more >

• Stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline: The fracked gas that could flow through the Mountain Valley Pipeline would have devastating climate impacts — and its construction already endangers communities and natural habitats in Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Take action >>
• Tell President Biden to Keep Fighting the Climate Crisis: With the urgency of the climate crisis and communities of color continuing to disproportionately bear the brunt of worsening climate impacts, it's clear we need President Biden and his cabinet officials to stand strong against fossil fuel industry pressure and prioritize clean energy and climate action. Add your name >>

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