Unlock your $2-for-$1 match. Donate now Global site nav Our Work Get Involved About Donate Breadcrumb Home Get involved Take action Take action: Current opportunities Tell the EPA. Cut Methane Pollution Today! The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has just introduced historic rules that will cut methane pollution from thousands of oil and gas facilities, protecting the health of millions of Americans in the process. These rules will bring nearly 1 million older, pre-existing oil and gas wells under federal oversight. And while EPA's proposed methane safeguards are an important step in the right direction, they must be strengthened in order to protect communities on the frontlines of oil and gas development, and confront the climate crisis head-on. We cannot miss out on this opportunity to cut methane pollution, safeguard public health, and act on climate. That means strengthening your proposed rules to finalize the most comprehensive methane safeguards that finally reign in methane waste from oil and gas companies... Read more We deserve climate safe savings options! This summer, nearly one-third of all Americans lived through a climate related disaster — leaving families’ health and property in danger. In the face of an unfolding crisis, the U.S. Department of Labor is taking a step to help safeguard one critical part of our economy and a cornerstone of many Americans’ financial futures – workers’ retirement savings. Under their proposed rule, retirement plan managers can consider climate change when making 401(k) investment decisions. By adding this extra level of risk management our retirement funds will be protected from the substantial and growing risks posed by climate change alongside other financial risks. But this policy will only be approved with your support. Send a public comment to the Department of Labor urging them to protect our retirement portfolios... Read more Urge EPA: Protect Americans from deadly ozone pollution now! This summer, ground-level ozone pollution — also known as smog — reached dangerous levels across the country. In EDF’s new 2021 Summer Ozone Analysis, we found that nearly every state saw unhealthy levels of smog this year. This pollution was at its worst in the West, where California, Arizona and Colorado experienced the most high-ozone days in between March and August. The harms of ozone pollution reach far beyond obscuring our skylines. It is deadly. We have the science to show that breathing in high levels of ozone irritates our airways, causing and worsening a wide range of heart and lung diseases — even leading to premature death. Despite a huge body of evidence showing that the current air quality standards for ozone are insufficient, the prior... Read more It’s time to tackle methane pollution Cutting methane emissions is the fastest opportunity we have to immediately slow the rate of global warming, even as we decarbonize our energy systems. And it’s an opportunity we can’t afford to miss. Methane has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide and is responsible for 25% of warming to date. That’s why we need to tackle our biggest offender, the oil and gas industry — who is responsible for 13 million metric tons of methane emissions every year. These emissions come from active, damaged and even abandoned wells across our country and it’s time we do something about it. Send a powerful message to Congress now: "We need to protect our communities from the dangers of methane pollution.” Thank you President Biden for leading on clean cars! President Biden made a landmark announcement, promising that half of all new passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. will be zero-emitting by 2030! This powerful message was delivered alongside leaders of the U.S. Big Three automakers and the president of the United Auto Workers, an unmistakable sign that the U.S. intends to lead the global market in developing zero-emitting vehicles. This monumental decision is a defining moment in our efforts to drive down transportation pollution and accelerate our transition to zero-emitting vehicles. Please take a moment to thank President Biden for his leadership on this important issue in our fight to reduce climate pollution and other dangerous air emissions. It’s time for big, bold climate solutions. Congress needs to go bold to create jobs, transition to clean energy and transportation and aggressively address environmental injustice. By supporting investments that move us to clean transportation and clean power, we can tackle the largest sources of climate and air pollution in our country. Now is the time to rebuild a healthier, stronger, thriving America. Urge your members of Congress to support investments that go bold on jobs, bold on clean air, and bold on solving climate change! It’s time to meet the moment on climate change. Countries around the world are stepping up, announcing stronger standards for motor vehicles that will help build a future free from the harms of tailpipe pollution. It’s time for the U.S. to meet the moment on climate change, match ambitious commitments from other nations and global automakers so the U.S. can slash our transportation pollution and win the race to a zero-emission future. Tell the Environmental Protection Agency to announce a bold plan to eliminate pollution by 2035 and to ensure that over half of new vehicles sold by 2030 are zero-emitting! It’s time to clean up our trucks and buses America’s heavy-duty trucks and buses are responsible for more than 420 million tons of climate pollution each year. While these vehicles only account for 4% of traffic on our roads, they are the largest contributor to air pollution of all highway vehicles. People who live closest to our nation’s roads, highways, ports, freight depots and distribution centers face the greatest health risks from that pollution. But we can stop it! Send a powerful message to EPA: We need stronger standards to reduce and eliminate emissions from our nation’s trucks and buses! Infrastructure is more than roads and bridges! From good paying clean energy jobs to cleaner air and waters, the Biden Administration’s infrastructure plan is a bold and necessary first step in combating the climate crisis. Investments in our nation’s infrastructure must go beyond roads and bridges to include EV charging infrastructure, zero-emitting trucks and busses, and lead-free pipes. Urge Congress to support strong policies that protect our communities’ air, water and climate so we can build a safe, prosperous, zero-emissions future. Protect Families from Dangerous Chemicals Chemicals used in everyday products have been linked to brain tumors, leukemia, infertility, Parkinson’s disease, and more. Pollutants in our air and water harm our health, too. A landmark victory in June 2016 opened a path to help change all that: Congress passed a groundbreaking bipartisan bill reforming our chemical safety law. Unfortunately, for four years, the Trump Administration tirelessly worked to undermine this legislation, putting us all at greater risk. Now, on the fifth anniversary of the law, we need to seize the opportunity to get the chemical safety system back on track and ensure it protects us all, particularly those most impacted, by dangerous chemicals. Tell EPA Administrator Regan: Fully implement the chemical safety law to protect communities across the country from toxic chemicals in our... Read more Climate solutions on the farm Climate change poses growing threats to America’s farmers and ranchers — from extreme heat and drought to larger, more frequent and damaging floods. At the same time, farmers and ranchers can be major players when it comes to advancing climate solutions. Practices like planting cover crops, reducing tillage and improving livestock management can help to boost soil health and reduce harmful pollutants like methane. Although agriculture contributes up to 10% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, engaging with farmers, ranchers and policymakers to advance these climate-friendly practices can slash emissions and build resilience. Please take action today to ask your members of Congress to prioritize on-farm climate solutions for America’s farmers and ranchers. It’s Time To Go Bold, America! The actions we take right now will set the course for our climate future. By seizing this moment, we can unleash transformational change to combat the climate crisis, rehabilitate our economy and build more resilient and more equitable communities. This is our moment to “Go Bold!” and set a path toward a cleaner, safer, healthier world that will protect our families and future generations from the most severe consequences of climate change. But we need your support. Sign the Go Bold, America! Climate Action Petition and help us deliver a powerful message to your leaders encouraging them to support big, bold investments to revitalize America’s aging infrastructure, lessen economic and environmental inequalities and jumpstart our transition to clean energy and electric vehicles! --------------------------------- Go Bold, America! Climate Action Petition America needs... Read more Take Action: Support our cleaner transportation future Transportation is the largest source of climate pollution in the U.S. It’s a big challenge, but also a big opportunity. Momentum is increasing for zero-emissions vehicles and our clean energy infrastructure, and we must seize new opportunities to slash pollution, create jobs and move toward a zero-net-emission future. Climate progress requires action and bold investment to spur innovation and accelerate our transition to cleaner transportation technologies at the rate science requires. Please take action to urge our members of Congress to support strong policies that will drive us forward toward our ambitious goals of ensuring all new passenger vehicles are zero emission by 2035 and all new trucks and buses are zero-emission by 2040. Make Your Voice Heard: Pennsylvania Families Demand Stronger Methane Protections Pennsylvanians are already experiencing the effects of climate change today with increased flooding, drought, extreme weather, air pollution, and ticks that cause Lyme disease. The need to take climate action grows more urgent day by day. And cutting methane pollution — over 80 times more potent than carbon and responsible for a quarter of the climate change we’re already experiencing — from the oil and gas industry is one of the quickest and most cost-effective ways for Pennsylvania to reduce greenhouse gas pollution. Recently, Governor Wolf and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection proposed a rule to reduce methane and harmful air pollution from existing oil and gas operations. This is a good start, but the rule has serious loopholes that would allow more than half of methane... Read more Demand the FDA Strengthen its Standards for Lead We know that lead exposure harms children and adults. In children, lead impairs brain development, resulting in learning and behavioral problems. In adults, it causes heart disease. Unfortunately, the Food and Drug Administration has not banned lead from being added to many materials that contact our food – from tea and coffee equipment to food cans. And the lead doesn’t stay in those materials – it can get into our food. EDF analyzed FDA data and found lead detected in 97% of certain canned fruit samples, compared to only 3% of fresh or frozen varieties. And there is ample evidence that the lead is added to brass or bronze in equipment to brew tea and coffee. Will you join us in demanding that FDA strengthen its standards for... Read more Take action: Support climate progress by supporting electric vehicles Transportation is the largest source of climate pollution in the U.S. It’s a big challenge, but also a big opportunity. Electric vehicles reduce carbon emissions and other dangerous pollution. The technology is ready today — and overseas competitors are already electrifying their transportation systems. We need bold and urgent action to accelerate America’s investment in these technologies, create jobs, promote equity and slash climate pollution. Take action today: Tell the Biden-Harris administration you support ambitious federal action to electrify our vehicles and transportation systems, especially America's 13 million heavy-duty trucks and buses, which produce more climate pollution than the entire British economy! Make Sure Pennsylvania Finally Tackles Climate Change As the third-largest greenhouse gas polluter in the U.S., Pennsylvania’s efforts to tackle climate change could be game changing. Now, Pennsylvanians have a major opportunity to weigh in on a policy program that can significantly curb climate-warming pollution in the state: the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Linking with RGGI has been in the works in Pennsylvania for almost two years. Thankfully, the Environmental Quality Board has voted to advance the rulemaking process, moving it forward to the next phase. But there are still a number of hurdles to be overcome before RGGI can become reality -- and we will need your help. Make sure to keep up-to-date with the latest developments with RGGI. Sign up here to receive our news and action alerts, and ensure that... Read more Thank Gov. Wolf for Standing Up for Pennsylvania There’s a way to clean up the Commonwealth’s air and push back against the looming climate crisis — while creating good jobs, growing the economy, and lowering bills for everyday Pennsylvanians. That way is the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a coalition of Northeastern and mid-Atlantic states working together to limit the carbon pollution spewing from coal-fired power plants. HB 2025 aimed to obstruct Pennsylvania from making crucial progress on linking to RGGI — giving a free pass to polluters. Though the legislature passed it, Gov. Wolf decided to side with the people of Pennsylvania and vetoed this dangerous bill. We need to make sure that Gov. Wolf knows we stand with him. Take action today, and send him a thank-you note! Remove Florida's Roadblocks to Energy Efficiency Florida has among the highest energy bills in the country. Families and businesses can’t afford these costs which are expected to nearly double by 2040. Already, a staggering 600,000 households are struggling to keep the lights on given job losses and economic hardship from the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s time Florida lead on energy efficiency. The Florida Public Service Commission will be revising the state's energy efficiency rules very soon. Let's make sure they remove roadblocks for energy efficiency in order to drive down costs and cut climate pollution. We Deserve to Know What We’re Buying We want safe and sustainable products. According to a recent survey of American shoppers, nearly 2 out of every 3 expect companies to explain the environmental impact of their products — and nearly 4 out of 5 believe companies should be doing more to help them make decisions that support sustainability. But as we increasingly shift to a digital world, we’re not getting the information we need. Finding legitimate environmental and ingredient safety data — or any data, for that matter — online is a monumental challenge. And often, the information that is provided is complicated and hard to verify. We deserve — and demand — transparency about the environmental and health impacts of the products we’re bringing in to our homes. A Major Milestone for Louisiana Louisiana’s land is disappearing. And as more wetlands turn to open water, it’s the people of Louisiana – from Pointe a la Hache to New Orleans – who pay the price, suffering the consequences in the form of devastating storm surges and encroaching sea level rise. This year marks 15 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated the region. Unless we act today, more communities, businesses and lives will be at risk from future hurricanes and sea level rise. With the climate crisis continuing to dial up extreme weather, the people of Louisiana can’t afford to wait. But the power of the Mississippi River can naturally protect the people of Louisiana – if you raise your voice today. Take Action to Pass NJ’s Cumulative Impacts Bill! Communities Of Color and low income communities have been disproportionately poisoned by pollution for far too long, made worse by COVID. Every person deserves a healthy home, school, place of worship, workplace, and recreational areas regardless of their income, zip code, or the color of their skin. We need to direct the NJ Department of Environmental Protection to “just say no” to more polluting facilities if they would disproportionately impact low-income communities and Communities Of Color that are already overburdened by the cumulative impacts of multiple pollutants. The NJ Senate has already strengthened and passed NJ’s landmark Environmental Justice bill. Governor Murphy made a public announcement of support on Juneteenth. Now it is time for the Assembly to act. A2212 will: Protect communities hardest hit by COVID... Read more Build a Healthier, Stronger Illinois Over the past several months, the COVID-19 pandemic has plunged us into an economic and public health crisis. It has been all we could do to mitigate the fallout. And now, as we look to the future, Illinois must focus on rebuilding better – healthier, stronger, more resilient, and more equitable. The Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) will be our path towards a better Illinois as we recover from the pandemic. Not only will CEJA invest in a quickly growing and viable segment of our economy – clean energy – it will also address public health by making our air safer to breathe. For three days beginning today, the Illinois General Assembly is back in session. Please help pass CEJA by urging your legislators to cosponsor CEJA... Read more Pennsylvania Deserves a Cleaner, Safer, Healthier Future Pennsylvania pumps out the third most greenhouse gases of any state. It’s home to the fifth dirtiest power sector in the country. And the United Health Foundation’s most recent National Air Pollution rankings put Pennsylvania in slot 47 out of 50. This is downright dangerous. Many power plants in Pennsylvania also pump out pollution that infiltrates our lungs, causing heart and lung diseases — which we know make COVID-19 more deadly. Now, more than ever, we need to be ensuring that all Pennsylvanian communities have air that is safe to breathe. But not everyone agrees. We’re hearing that many in the state legislature are working to advance an attack on Governor Wolf's efforts to limit Pennsylvania's power sector pollution, hoping to undermine this effort to protect Pennsylvanians' lungs in the middle of a respiratory health... Read more Footer site navigation About EDF CONTACT US OFFICES CAREERS Resources BLOGS REPORTS AND PUBLICATIONS FOR THE MEDIA Members BECOME A MEMBER TAKE ACTION GET INVOLVED Find us on Twitter Find us on Facebook Find us on Instagram Find us on LinkedIn Copyright © 2021 Environmental Defense Fund. All Rights Reserved. Privacy statement Environmental Defense Fund is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Tax identification number 11-6107128.