Lawsuit challenges Biden-approved oil drilling permits for failing to protect climate-imperiled wildlife, public lands

Jun 15, 2022 | News Release

Environmental organizations sued the Bureau of Land Management today for issuing more than 4,000 oil and gas drilling permits in New Mexico and Wyoming during the first 16 months of the Biden administration in violation of the Endangered Species Act, the National...

Local leaders urge Commission to support water protections for northern New Mexico streams

Jun 14, 2022 | News Release

Conserving watersheds will preserve clean water, cultural history, traditional irrigation, outdoor recreation A diverse coalition, including tribal leaders and governments, community members, local governments, farmers, acequia members, and water conservation groups,...

Settlements: Biden administration will address oil and gas leasing climate impacts on nearly 4 million acres of western U.S. public lands, reconsider sales to oil and gas industry

Jun 2, 2022 | News Release

In response to lawsuits filed by WildEarth Guardians, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and the Western Environmental Law Center, the Biden administration will review and reconsider decisions to sell nearly 4 million acres of public lands oil and gas leases as...

Court again forces feds to reconsider wolverine protections, this time using science

May 27, 2022 | News Release

Today, a federal judge invalidated a Trump administration decision denying protections to imperiled wolverines under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) (original complaint here). This is the second time a court has rejected a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision to...

Conservationists challenge federal logging plan that would intensively log remaining spotted owl reserves

May 26, 2022 | News Release

Late yesterday, Oregon-based conservation organizations Cascadia Wildlands and Oregon Wild challenged the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Siuslaw Field Office’s plan to log public lands west of Eugene across seven watersheds. The agency’s “N126 Late Successional...

Four Corners community groups fight to retain hard-won public benefits in merger case appeal

May 23, 2022 | News Release

Today, four northwest New Mexico community groups, along with the Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy (CCAE), joined an appeal to the state’s Supreme Court challenging the rejection of a merger between PNM Resources and Avangrid, a global leader in renewable energy....

Federal Judge Stops 35,000-Acre Fracking Plan in Western Colorado

May 20, 2022 | News Release

A U.S. District Court judge today vacated a federal plan that allowed fracking across 35,000 acres of Colorado’s Western Slope. The North Fork Mancos Master Development Plan would have allowed 35 new fracking wells in the North Fork Valley and Thompson Divide areas of...

Groups petition Interior to use existing, long-dormant authority to rein in oil and gas

May 19, 2022 | News Release

Yesterday, a coalition of 30 environmental and community groups petitioned the Department of Interior to use the agency’s longstanding authority and responsibility under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) to center public lands as a cornerstone of...

Dr. Brian Henning joins WELC board of directors

May 4, 2022 | News Release

The Western Environmental Law Center, a nonprofit public-interest environmental law firm, is proud to announce the addition of Dr. Brian Henning to its board of directors. Dr. Brian G. Henning is professor of philosophy and of environmental studies at Gonzaga...

Wildlife conservation groups secure agreement from feds to evaluate Southern Rockies for lynx critical habitat

Apr 26, 2022 | News Release

Late yesterday, the District Court of Montana approved a legal agreement wildlife conservation groups secured with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service compelling the agency to revise its Canada lynx critical habitat rule to evaluate territory in the wild cat’s southern...