Natural Resources Defense Council

The Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) is an environmental action group, combining the grassroots power of 1.4 million members and online activists with the expertise of more than 350 lawyers, scientists, and other professionals. The award provides project support for NRDC’s work on the nuclear fuel cycle. NRDC addresses three main issues: the U.S. Department of Energy’s planning for a next federal research reactor project; an alternative fuel cycle to replace a pyroprocessing-based fuel cycle; and a consent-based approach for nuclear waste disposal. The project is intended to constrain and prevent programs for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel, and to oppose reactor concepts that use separated plutonium as fuel, because of the unacceptably high nuclear weapons proliferation risks and environmental harms.

The Natural Resources Defense Council is an environmental action group, combining the grassroots power of 1.4 million members and online activists with the expertise of more than 350 lawyers, scientists, and other professionals. The award supports work on the 2015 World Nuclear Industry Status Report. First published in 1992, the report provides independent analysis on energy and nuclear policy on a regular basis. It is a key reference for nuclear analysts, journalists, academics, policymakers, and investment bankers in the United States and around the world.

The Natural Resources Defense Council combines grassroots activism with legal and scientific expertise to promote and defend a healthy, sustainable environment. Over the next few years, the United States can seize an historic opportunity to curb carbon pollution by putting in place the first-ever national limits on carbon emissions from power plants. Certain business interests and state governments already have mounted daunting legal attacks to weaken proposed and existing carbon pollution standards, and additional federal and state court challenges are expected. The Foundation’s support helps ensure that the Natural Resources Defense Council remains a formidable rival to opponents of federal environmental protections. Successfully protecting and enforcing the new and existing pollution standards represent an indispensible element of U.S. leadership on addressing climate change.

The Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) is an environmental action group, combining the grassroots power of 1.4 million members and online activists with the expertise of more than 350 lawyers, scientists, and other professionals. Through this grant, NRDC’s Nuclear Program intends to analyze and communicate to a wide audience the technical, economic, environmental, and international security risks of a U.S. government or federally-subsidized commercial program to further develop and/or deploy nuclear spent fuel reprocessing. It will also address the risks of spent fuel storage from a terrorism perspective.

The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an environmental action group, with 1.4 million members and online activists, as well as the expertise of more than 350 lawyers, scientists, and other professionals. NRDC will develop and test a pilot citizen radiation monitoring network to crowd-source radiation information and analyze, map and share data in real time. The network will use: a new generation of hand-held radiation detectors; online networking, social media and dynamic mapping software resources; and radiation health physics expertise. Grant funds will be used for partial staff salaries, consultant fees, travel, publications, detector hardware, and other administrative costs.

To secure the global nuclear fuel cycle and verify the storage and elimination of U.S. and Russian tactical nuclear weapons (over two years).

In support of policy research and engagement on nuclear disarmament issues and the safety of the U.S. nuclear weapons complex (over three years).

For a collaborative effort to maintain momentum for strong U.S. action and international cooperation to address global warming (over two years).

For Reef Check, a global coral reef monitoring program (over three years).

To support the program Forging Consensus on a More Cooperative U.S.-Russian Relationship (over three years).

For a project on climate change, in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and the Environmental Defense Fund (over 3 years).

For a special communications initiative (over three years).

For research on nuclear weapons reduction and the safety of the U.S. nuclear weapons complex (over two years).

For research and analysis of nuclear testing and fissile material control.

To support biodiversity policy programs focusing on the Global Environmental Facilty (over two years).

To support the international activities of the Nuclear Test Ban project.

A technical assistance program helping Russian policymakers develop a legal framework for protecting the natural resources of the Russian Federation (over two years).

For a campaign to preserve the Caribbean National Forest in Puerto Rico.

In support of general operations (over four years).

To revise the legal framework for U.S. nuclear nonproliferation policy.

To support conservation policy studies and public education in Hawaii (over three years).

To expand promotional efforts for "The Rainforest Book: How You Can Save the Rainforests."

For the joint Arms Control Verification Program with the Soviet Academy of Science.

To support the United States Tropical Forest Program in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands (over three years).

To support the nuclear testing verification project for seismic monitoring activities under the NRDC-Soviet Academy of Sciences agreement.

To establish a presence in Hawaii to address critical issues of preservation, to address tropical forest preservation issues in the Carribbean, and to ensure inventory is carried out and selected areas are protected.

For a demonstration of verification techniques for a nuclear test ban, in cooperation with the Russian Academy of Sciences.

For a demonstration of verification techniques for a nuclear test ban, in cooperation with the Russian Academy of Sciences.