Case Archive

For the Western Environmental Law Center's 2000-2005 historical dockets and more recent case archives, please click this link. For dockets prior to 2000 please contact us directly.

Protecting New Mexico's Nut Grasslands from Oil and Gas Development

The Western Environmental Law Center is working to protect key components of the Nutt Grasslands of Luna County, New Mexico from oil and gas development.

Defending the Public's Ability to Obtain Injunctions Against Harmful Logging

In order to retain the public’s right to have the courts set aside harmful logging projects, the Western Environmental Law Center is defending against a Supreme Court petition by the Forest Service that would weaken the standards by which the courts review such projects.

Ensuring Cultural Resources in Otero Mesa are Protected from Oil and Gas Development

The Western Environmental Law Center is serving as local counsel to a coalition of “friends of the court” including the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, and the Association on American Indian Affairs to support the State of New Mexico’s efforts to ensure protection of cultural resources in Otero Mesa from oil and gas development.

Protecting the Fort Belknap Indian Community's Cultural and Water Resources from Contamination from Cyanide Gold Mines

On behalf of the Gros Ventre and Assiniboine Tribes of the Fort Belknap Indian Community in northeastern Montana, WELC attorneys sued the Bureau of Land Management and several other federal agencies for permitting the development and expansion of two cyanide gold mines in the Little Rocky Mountains, which are located directly adjacent to and upstream from the Fort Belknap Reservation.

Challenging the Government’s Refusal to Protect Roundtail and Headwater Chubs and their Habitat

The Western Environmental Law Center is representing the Center for Biological Diversity in challenging the government’s refusal to extend Endangered Species Act protections to the roundtail and headwater chubs and their habitat in Arizona and New Mexico.

Defending New Mexican’s Right to Clean Water from Industry Attack

Representing a broad alliance of organizations lead by Amigos Bravos, the Western Environmental Law Center successfully defended the people’s right to clean water.

Protecting and Restoring National Forest Wildlands from Out-of-Control Motorized Recreation

The Western Environmental Law Center worked closely with a key leader in National Forest protection and restoration efforts – The Wilderness Society – to develop core strategies to protect National Forests from uncontrolled and abusive motorized recreation (i.e., off road vehicles).

Securing Protection for Two Old-Growth Dependent Salamander Species

Representing several conservation organizations, WELC challenged the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (“FWS”) finding that the salamanders do not warrant protected status under the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”).

Protecting the Merced River in the Yosemite Valley from Development

WELC has been involved for many years representing numerous groups and individuals as amici (friends of the court) in support of grassroots conservation groups who are fighting to preserve and restore the Merced River, which flows through Yosemite valley.

Fighting for Reclassification of the "NCE" Grizzly Bears

The North Cascades Ecosystem population of grizzly bears is at risk of extinction. Our goal, through this case, is to get the bears reclassified as "endangered" and get the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to implement full recovery of this population of the bear.

Protecting the Valle Vidal of New Mexico

The Western Environmental Law Center serves as chief counsel to the Coalition for the Valle Vidal, an alliance of over 400+ local governments, businesses, conservation organizations, hunting and angling groups, and 1000's of individuals unified in their quest to permanently protect the 100,000 acre Valle Vidal Unit from the threat of unwise coalbed methane development.

Defending the Russian River from Wastewater Discharges

The City of Healdsburg discharged partially treated wastewater without a Clean Water Act permit to 60 acre abandoned gravel mine called Basalt Pond adjacent to the Russian River in Sonoma County, California.

Defending Western National Forests through the Freedom of Information Act

In support of our Roads Initiative, in October of 2005 we sent requests for transportation impact information to 81 western National Forests under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Our requests notified the Agency that we sought the data to oversee its implementation of its recently issued travel management rules.

Protecting Environmental and Cultural Values at risk from the Taos Airport Expansion

The Western Environmental Law Center assisted community members in the Taos area to protect environmental and cultural values at risk from a potentially unwise effort to expand the Taos Airport.

Protecting Lynx from the Federal Predator Control Program

The Western Environmental Law Center is suing Wildlife Services, a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in federal court to ensure that the agency takes incidental killings of the protected lynx into account and alters its wildlife killing methods to account for the presence of lynx.

Blocking the White Pass ski area expansion

Representing the Hogback Basin Preservation Association and the Cascade Chapter of the Sierra Club, WELC is working to block the expansion of the White Pass ski area into the heart of two roadless areas.

Southwest National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor

WELC is challenging the Department of Energy’s failure to comply with critical environmental laws in designating the Southwest National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor.

Reducing Air Pollution from Coal-Fired Power Plants in the Four Corners Region

The Four Corners Power Plant and the Navajo Generating Station are two of the biggest and most polluting power plants in the country, contributing to ill health effects and hazy skies for residents of the Navajo Nation and the rest of the Four Corners region in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. By being involved in the “Federal Implementation Plan” process that EPA is conducting to implement the Clean Air Act for these power plants, the Western Environmental Law Center hopes to improve the air quality for the region.

Assisting Rio Arriba County, New Mexico in Implementing Oil & Gas Moratorium

Given the dramatic increase in oil and gas development in Rio Arriba County, the County Commission recently passed this moratorium to ensure that it protects its “prime feature — its land.”

John Muir and Ansel Adams Wildernesses - Alleviating Damage from Commercial Packstock

This suit challenges the Forest Service’s authorization of commercial packstock uses in the John Muir and Ansel Adams Wildernesses in the Sierra Nevada in California -- two of the most popular wildernesses in the lower forty-eight states.

Intervention to Protect Critical Habitat of the Mexican Spotted Owl

The Western Environmental Law Center is representing the Center for Biological Diversity in intervening on behalf of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in a suit filed by the ranching industry.

Ensuring public oversight in the Tongass National Forest

WELC sued the Tongass National Forest, on behalf of one of its staff scientists, insisting that the Forest operate in the open, apply the best science and not hide “inconvenient truths” in its management of our public lands.

Defending the Tribal and Cultural Significance of the Snoqualmie Falls

Snoqualmie Falls has been a sacred place for the Snoqualmie Tribe for millenia. The religious and cultural significance of the Falls to the Tribe has never been adequately considered by Puget Sound Energy, the company that operates a dam that alters the natural flow of the river and falls. With WELC's help the Tribe has appealled the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) failure to consider the significance of the Falls to the Tribe’s culture.

Defending Waters of the U.S. from Abandoned Mine Discharges

By its own estimates, the U.S. Forest Service holds title to land on which are located approximately 36,000 abandoned mines. Many of these are leaking acid mine wastes into the waters of the United States. We have filed suit under the Clean Water Act to force the Forest Service to halt these discharges.

Challenge to Bush Rules Exempting Timber Sales from NEPA

The Western Environmental Law Center is seeking to have rules exempting large categories of timber sales from NEPA review set aside so that the sales will continue to receive review and to make sure they do not unduly harm our National Forests.

Intervening in Peabody Coal's attempt to weaken New Mexico's Water Quality Standards

Peabody Coal, a company with soaring profits despite the economic downturn, is now seeking to excuse itself from water quality standards set forth in the Clean Water Act, and New Mexico water quality standards.

Ensuring a state's right to limit vehicle green house gas (GHG) emissions

The Western Environmental Law Center is urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use its authority under section 209(b) of the Clean Air Act to grant California a waiver of federal preemption to enable it to limit vehicle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Protecting Sand Creek from the Sand Creek Byway

This is a challenge to an ill-conceived and poorly planned federal high project that will completely obliterate the natural function and riparian community of Sand Creek and forever alter the unique character of downtown Sandpoint.

Protecting the Endangered Kootenai River White Sturgeon

This is the second phase of an ongoing lawsuit where the Western Environmental Law Center is challenging the US Army Corps of Engineers and the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s failure to protect the endangered Kootenai River population of white sturgeon.

Protecting the Conservation Reserve Program

Without public participation and without reviewing the impacts of its decision the USDA is altering the wonderfully successful Conservation Reserve Program.

WELC at the Supreme Court - Defending your right to challenge harmful government regulations

DECISION JUST IN! WELC argued at the U.S. Supreme Court to challenge forest service rules denying citizen input.

Protecting the Canada Lynx and its Habitat from Development

This case challenges the decision of the US Forest Service to grant special use authorization for access roads and utility corridors across National Forest lands from U.S. Highway 160 to private land within the Rio Grande National Forest.

Challenging Questionable Oil and Gas Leases in Montana

This case challenges the Bureau of Land Management’s failure to conduct appropriate environmental analyses prior to selling oil and gas leases in Southwestern Montana.

Defending Wetlands from Grazing

This work involves protecting and restoring an extremely unique but fragile wetlands complex (over a 100 wetlands) which provides outstanding habitat for the region’s wildlife and waterfowl from excessive amounts of livestock grazing.