Natural Resources Defense Council

Save San Onofre Coalition Files 2 Lawsuits to Stop Foothill/Eastern (241) Toll Road Extension

The Save San Onofre coalition filed two lawsuits in San Diego Superior Court Wednesday aimed at stopping what it considers the first five-mile segment of a 16-mile toll road that would ultimately cut through a south Orange County park and up against a northern San Diego County beach.The complaints a ... More >>

"Conceptual Plan" for Foothill-South (241) Toll Road Extension Draws Scorn and Confusion

Environmental activists opposed to the extension of the 241 toll road into South County are crying foul over the Orange County Transportation Corridor Agencies' (TCA) recently approving a conceptual plan for construction of the first leg of the project, alleging there was little public notice as pre ... More >>

Orange County Register Flambéed for Fawning Over Frickin' Fracking

A media watchdog is barking about a recent Orange County Register editorial on an industry-friendly study boosting fracking, the controversial oil drilling technique critics fear causes earthquakes and groundwater contamination.

3 OC Beaches Ranked Among Cleanest in U.S. by NRDC, But Dirty Doheny Gets Spanked Again

Three Orange County beaches are among the cleanest of 200 popular beaches around the country, according to a new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).However, the NRDC's "Testing the Waters" survey also identified three separate stretches of Doheny State Beach in Dana Point as be ... More >>

Port of Long Beach Pact Allowing Truckers to Police Clean Trucks Program Draws Judge's Rebuke

​The Long Beach Harbor Commission illegally violated state environmental law when it weakened its truck cleanup program without first performing the required environmental review, a federal judge has ruled. Finding in favor of the Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), which ... More >>

[UPDATED] Rohrabacher, Calvert and Campbell Support Bad-Air Bills, NRDC Says

​UPDATED, JAN. 28, 11:04 A.M: Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn), who authored House Resolution 97, backed by Rohrabacher, Calvert and Campbell, issued this response to claims the bill supports polluters over the health of citizens: "The NRDC's connection between greenhouse gasses and ... More >>

Tale of Three Port of Long Beach Realities

​"Ports Celebrate Clean Truck Program Anniversary"Long Beach Press Telegram"Port Trucking Company Fights Economy, Environmental Fee"89.3 KPCC"Backroom Deal Leaves Long Beach Truck Program in Hands of Polluting Industry"Natural Resources Defense Council and Sierra Club via PR Newswire

OC Environmentalists Celebrate Momentous Decisions

Ancestor walks take on new meaning after efforts to carve a toll road through Pahne failed.​Holiday celebrating started early for local environmental groups.On Friday, a diverse coalition of allies marked the one-year anniversary of a U.S. Department of Commerce decision that effectively stopped t ... More >>

Enviros vs. Pillowy Soft Ultra Fluffy Quilted Toilet Paper Makers

Toilet paper only accounts for 5 percent of the U.S. forest-products industry. Paper and cardboard packaging makes up 26 percent of the industry, although more than half is made from recycled products. Newspapers account for 3 percent. Still, environmentalists say 5 percent is too mu ... More >>

Californians Fare Best in NRDC Oil-Dependence Rankings

​The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) just concluded a press conference in Washington, D.C., where the environment protectors released a report ranking states by: a) how vulnerable its citizens are to the combined effects of the economic downturn and changing oil prices and, b) significant ... More >>

NRDC: Clean OC Beaches Buck Dirty U.S., California Trend

Sunset Beach: pretty clean​The Natural Resources Defense Council's annual survey of water quality and public notification at U.S. beaches contains plenty of bad news for anyone into wading into surf around the country without getting sick. Beach closings and advisories hit their fourth-highest lev ... More >>

Toll-Road Dissing NOAA Now Fights to Protect Local Steelhead

Perhaps environmentally sensitive locals should withhold sending support to the Sierra Club, the Surfrider Foundation and the Natural Resources Defense Council and instead cut checks to the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It was, after all, the NOAA tha ... More >>

Interesting Op-Ed Pieces on FBI Informant, Toll Roads

In "Breach of Trust: FBI Wants It Both Ways," the editorial board of UC Irvine's New University student newspaper takes issue with the indictment of a Muslim resident of Tustin and the use of a controversial government informant. (Background is here and here.) The case is bound to have a chilling ef ... More >>

Who is Down on Measure R (and How Much Are They Down For)?

Shea and Choi: big anti-R funders Measure R on the Irvine ballot asks residents to approve what a great job the Irvine City Council is doing on planning the Great Park on the old El Toro Marine Corps base (or if the measure loses, one supposes, what a piss-poor job they are doing). The conflict-of- ... More >>

Toll Road Warriors

Schwarzenegger Sacks Shriver

Governor Schwarzenegger sent a message to every one of his appointees this week by effectively firing the chair and vice-chair of the California State Parks and Recreation Commission. Bobby Shriver, chairman of the Commission, is a Santa Monica City Councilman and the Governor's brother-in-law. Clin ... More >>

Dirty Harry on San Onofre

Clint Eastwood is Vice-Chair of the California State Parks and Recreation Commission. He also used to surf down at Trestles in San Onofre. Thus it's little surprise he appears in the following video urging Southern Californians to save Trestles and San Onofre State Beach. This can be done by opposin ... More >>

YouTube Saves Trestles

The Save San Onofre Coalition really hopes the Coastal Commission is a buncha voyeurs. See, the SSOC (made up of Defenders of Wildlife, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Endangered Habitats League, Laguna Greenbelt, Surfrider Foundation, Audubon California, the California State Parks ... More >>

An Inconvenient Slope

Big Bears ski resorts are covered in snow despite a chronic lack of natural snowfall. So where are the crowds? Dont blame global warmingblame the media

Diary of a Mad County

Nov. 15 - Nov. 21

Drugs Did Danny

Smith: Sad (AP) Hot off the Associated Press: Anna Nicole Smith's 20-year-old son died from a lethal combination of methadone and two antidepressant drugs, a U.S.-based pathologist who conducted a private autopsy said Wednesday. Toxicology tests showed Daniel Smith had methadone, Zoloft and Lexap ... More >>

Toll Road Rage

Hey, Porter! New firm cashes in on bad toll-road PR

Ear Splitters

A federal judge has temporarily forbidden the Navy from using high-intensity sonar in war-game exercises off the coast of Hawaii, ruling that environmental groups had provided "considerable convincing scientific evidence that the Navy's use of ... sonar can kill, injure, and disturb many species, in ... More >>

New Poll Takes Its Toll

A public opinion survey released this fine Wednesday morning shows that 73% of Californians are opposed to extending a toll road through San Onofre State Beach. Last September, the Transportation Corridor Agencies commissioned their annual public opinion poll on how much we all love toll roads. The ... More >>

The Year in the 241 Toll Road

The year in doing nothing

Toll Road Rage: 2005 in Review

The year in the 241, the year in doing nothing

Toll Road Rage: Who Supports the Toll Road?

Shark Attack!

No Mo Moiso

Grassroots campaign aims to stop homebuilder from invading OCs last protected wilderness area

2002: Diary of a Mad Year

Diary of a Mad County

Clean Water, Murky Politics

The developers win again

Oy, No! We Won't Go!

Wiggedy-Wiggedy

The very fonky Democratic convention won us back!

50 Reasons to Hate the Proposed El Toro International Airport

Poo Fighters

Once a friend of land developers, Garry Brown has joined the battle to keep OCs beaches free of the brown stuff