The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is the nation's most effective environmental action organization. We use law, science and the support of 3.1 million members and online activists to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living things. NRDC was founded in 1970 and our staff helped write some of America's bedrock environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act, and many of the implementing regulations; our water enforcement cases played a major role shaping current water policy throughout the country. Today, our staff of more than 500 lawyers, scientists, economists, policy and communications experts, and others, work out of offices in New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Bozeman, Montana and Beijing.
- NRDC is seeking a fellow to be based in the New York office and work with our Clean Vehicles & Fuels and Eastern Region teams. The proposed project will be to advance clean transportation policies with promising potential to significantly reduce regional transportation sector greenhouse gas emissions, while also improving air quality and reducing petroleum dependence.
- The suite of policies being contemplated include: a Low Carbon Fuel Standard in New York State (that could evolve to become regional); a regional Transportation Climate Initiative that aims to establish a cap-and-trade system of some kind for the transportation sector; enhanced utility programs to incentivize adoption of electric vehicles.
- Depending on the fellow's background and interest, he/she would assist the teams with research and analysis, development of short reports or write-ups, and advocacy and stakeholder engagement. Subject matter areas that the fellow could delve into include: structuring a regional system for reducing transportation systems; applying learnings from California to New York; ensuring complementarity among different policies/programs with a common goal to reduce transportation sector emissions; investigating implementation barriers and developing solutions. The fellow would work with clean transportation experts from across NRDC (e.g., NY and CA), as well as regional advocates with deep expertise in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and other Northeastern states.
- Work products may include stand-alone documents or memos that will be incorporated into NRDC reports, factsheets, blogs, briefings, and presentations. The fellow would also likely have opportunities to engage with policy-makers and other policy advocates. The fellowship will provide an excellent opportunity to investigate major barriers and potential solutions to the deployment of clean transportation.
- Students who have already received a three-month Schneider fellowship are eligible for the one-year NRDC fellowships only. Fellows commit to working 12 weeks or one year at their NGOs. Generally, fellowships begin in June, but the start date is often flexible, to be agreed upon by the Fellow and the NGO.
- The NGOs will receive and screen candidate applications. There are no limits to the number of fellowships to which applicants may apply.