News & Updates
Wildlife advocates convince feds to keep lynx protections, write long-overdue recovery plan
Today, a coalition of conservation organizations secured a legal settlement that will aid threatened Canada lynx recovery: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will abandon plans to remove Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for the struggling snow cat in the...
Judge: Montana DEQ failed to protect water near Rosebud Coal Mine
In an important victory for clean water in Montana, a Montana district court judge ruled on Thursday that the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) repeatedly ignored the law and failed to protect water quality from an expansion of the Rosebud coal strip...
Mexican wolves see improved but imperfect management rule
Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed a new rule for managing the recovery of endangered Mexican gray wolves. In a major improvement for lobos, the wild population would no longer be arbitrarily capped at 320 wolves. And the Service would have more...
Challengers to Jordan Cove LNG get their day in federal court
Oral argument for lawsuit challenging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s approval of the Jordan Cove LNG export terminal and Pacific Connector gas pipeline (Evans v. FERC) is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 28 WHEN: Thursday, October 28, 6:00am-9:30am PST. WHERE:...
Fishing, recreation advocates topple critical Trump-era Clean Water Act federal power grab
Late last night, fishing and recreation advocates won a significant victory for clean water when a federal district court threw out (vacated) a critical Trump Clean Water Act rule. Today’s order from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California...
Nellis Kennedy-Howard joins WELC board of directors
The Western Environmental Law Center, a nonprofit public-interest environmental law firm, is proud to announce the addition of Nellis Kennedy-Howard to its board of directors. Nellis Kennedy-Howard is an attorney with certificates in federal Indian law and natural...
NM groups to lawmakers: Fossil-fueled hydrogen a climate threat, not a solution
On Tuesday, a coalition of New Mexico community, environmental, and justice organizations warned state and federal lawmakers of the risks of diving head-first into fossil-fueled hydrogen projects. The groups’ letter provides guidance on the context and safeguards that...
Correcting the record on rotenone
The Western Environmental Law Center has learned of an error in a press release from 2011 regarding the use of rotenone by the U.S. Forest Service. Rotenone is a chemical that kills fish and is used to eradicate invasive species in order to restore native fish in...
Objections target Biden’s oil leasing plan amid climate “code red”
Conservation groups filed formal objections today to the Biden administration’s plans to offer 734,000 acres of public lands for oil and gas leasing amid what the president himself has called a climate “code red.” Oil and gas in the proposed leases contain up to 246...
Statement: Biden administration will resume oil and gas leasing in response to court order it is appealing, signals significant programmatic review
Today, the Biden administration announced it will resume oil and gas leasing on federal public lands and waters to comply with a preliminary injunction in the legal challenge brought against the climate-centered pause by the state of Louisiana. However, the federal...
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