We Defend the West
Defending Wildlands | Protecting Wildlife | Safeguarding Climate
We use the power of the law to foster thriving, resilient western U.S. lands, waters, wildlife, and communities in the face of a changing climate.
We Defend the West
Defending Wildlands | Protecting Wildlife | Safeguarding Climate
We use the power of the law to foster thriving, resilient western U.S. lands, waters, wildlife, and communities in the face of a changing climate.
We Defend the West
Defending Wildlands
Protecting Wildlife
Safeguarding Climate
We use the power of the law to foster thriving, resilient western U.S. lands, waters, wildlife, and communities in the face of a changing climate.
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EXPLORE WAYS TO GIVE
Defending Wildlands
The western U.S. is defined by its natural heritage of wildlands, rivers, forests, and wildlife. Since its inception, WELC has worked hard to preserve and restore these unique characteristics.
Protecting Wildlife
The western U.S. depends on its iconic wildlife. WELC protects native animals while preserving and restoring the healthy, functioning natural ecosystems they call home.
Safeguarding Climate
Our world is warming, with dire consequences to the communities, lands, rivers, and wildlife of the western U.S. But, as the saying goes, in every crisis lies opportunity.
Biden administration to end coal leasing in Powder River Basin
The Biden administration announced today that it will end coal leasing in the Powder River Basin – the largest coal-producing region in the U.S. The decision represents an historic shift in federal management of coal in the region, recognizing that the market has...
Conservation groups intervene against Signal Peak’s lawsuit seeking to rush review of nation’s largest underground coal mine
Today, conservation groups simultaneously moved to intervene and dismiss a lawsuit brought by Signal Peak Energy, which is seeking to force the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) to rush the environmental review of a proposed...
Bedrock community, environmental law modernization will supercharge just transition, environmental justice
Early this morning, the Biden administration’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) completed a two-phased effort to modernize rules implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a bedrock community and environmental protection law in the U.S. The final...
WELC Land Acknowledgement
The Western Environmental Law Center acknowledges that we live and work on the homelands of Indigenous Peoples across the western United States. We honor these original peoples who have long stewarded these lands, and we celebrate their resilience and richness of their languages, traditions, and cultures. Read more here.