As a kid I played outside in the woods or at the beach most days, followed trails, climbed cliffs and went fishing. Before NRDC I worked in the private sector as well as in the offices of elected officials in county, state and federal government. In 2001 I joined NRDC’s Land and Wildlife Program. Now I work to protect the environment. NRDC is dedicated to protecting our nation’s wildest places and most valuable wildlife habitat from irresponsible industrial development. I've worked to protect old growth forests in Alaska and other western states. Now my work is focused on protecting sensitive lands in the Rocky Mountain region from harmful oil and gas operations, and on advancing public policies to require more environmental protections for oil and gas operations
Posted September 30, 2014 by Amy Mall in Health and the Environment
According to a recent article in the Greeley Tribune, the oil and gas industry in Weld County, Colorado is producing more wastewater than it can handle. Weld County is a hotbed of the industry, with 21,595 active oil and gas wells,...continued→
Posted September 17, 2014 by Amy Mall in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
I've blogged before about the risks to wildlife from oil and gas development. For example, declining mule deer herds in Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. The latest science now documents the impacts on another species--elk--from natural gas operations. Scientists compared data on elk...continued→
Posted September 15, 2014 by Amy Mall in Health and the Environment
I recently blogged about an investigation by the Pennsylvania Auditor General which found that the state's Department of Environmental Protection is "unprepared to effectively administer laws and regulations to protect drinking water and unable to efficiently respond to citizen complaints."...continued→
Posted September 3, 2014 by Amy Mall in Health and the Environment
In July I blogged about a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette investigation that uncovered 209 cases where the oil and gas industry contaminated Pennsylvania private water supplies between 2008 and 2014. That number was based on an "early version" of a spreadsheet compiled by state regulators and provided to the Post-Gazette in...continued→
Posted August 15, 2014 by Amy Mall in Health and the Environment
Exactly three years ago, I blogged about Pam Judy in Murrysville, Pennsylvania. Pam's family experienced severe health symptoms after a compressor station was built on her neighbor's property, including nose bleeds, vertigo, mouth blisters, extreme headaches, fatigues, vomiting, and emergency room visits. Air...continued→
Posted August 5, 2014 by Amy Mall in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
A new peer-reviewed scientific paper outlines in detail the threats of fracking to plants and wildlife. The authors, from various universities, concluded that there are few studies and therefore significant knowledge gaps. Among their findings: Threats from shale development include: "surface and groundwater contamination; diminished stream...continued→
Posted July 31, 2014 by Amy Mall in Health and the Environment
The German federal environment agency just released a report on fracking. I don't speak German, and there is nothing on the agency's English language website yet, but I am going to post some key quotes from articles I have read: "Basically, we believe...continued→
Posted July 30, 2014 by Amy Mall in Health and the Environment
The Denver Post headline says it all: "Oil and gas spills surge, two a day, residents often not notified." There have been reports for years about the high number of spills in Colorado. The good news is that Colorado makes...continued→
Posted July 29, 2014 by Amy Mall in Health and the Environment
Yesterday the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released an eagerly awaited report on the state of something called the Underground Injection Control program. This program, aka “UIC,” is designed to protect underground sources of drinking water from the underground injection of fluids,...continued→
Posted July 22, 2014 by Amy Mall in Health and the Environment
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that oil and gas operations have contaminated Pennsylvania water supplies 209 times since the end of 2007. Also in Pennsylvania, the Auditor General issued a report on the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and its performance in monitoring the potential...continued→
Posted July 21, 2014 by Amy Mall in Health and the Environment, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Last week I blogged about explosions and a spill at a fracking operation in Ohio. More details are now available, and the reports offer a cautionary tale of all the things that can go wrong on a fracking site. Here are...continued→
Posted July 14, 2014 by Amy Mall in Health and the Environment
The oil and gas industry claims it is always working to improve its operations. Where is the proof? To the contrary, the news about spills keeps coming. Last week it was reported that a pipeline carrying oil and gas wastewater...continued→
Posted June 20, 2014 by Amy Mall in Health and the Environment
Another deeply troubling story about the failure of our government leaders to protect Americans from the consequences of fracking is coming out of Pennsylvania. A blistering investigation from StateImpact Pennsylvania reports that two retired employees of the Pennsylvania Department of Health were instructed by...continued→
Posted June 13, 2014 by Amy Mall in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report in May on BLM's oversight of oil and gas development on federal and Indian lands. Among the GAO's findings: Annual production of oil and gas from federal and Indian leases of sandstone...continued→
Posted June 3, 2014 by Amy Mall in Health and the Environment, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
For too long now, the Bureau of Land Management, as well as other federal agencies, have been approving new oil and gas development without necessary environmental reviews. A recent article in the Casper Star-Tribune describes how this "fast-tracking" has been working in...continued→
Switchboard is the staff blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the nation’s most effective environmental group. For more about our work, including in-depth policy documents, action alerts and ways you can contribute, visit NRDC.org.
