News & Updates

Biden administration defends Trump-era decision that fails to account for the costs of pollution from leasing publicly owned coal

Jan 10, 2022

In a filing late Friday, the Biden administration's U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) defended two Trump-era resource management plans (RMPs) that failed to comply with a court order to account for impacts from burning publicly-owned coal, including on public...

Lawsuit launched to protect Washington’s endangered salmon, orcas, trout from cyanide pollution

Dec 21, 2021

Conservation organizations filed a formal notice today of their intent to sue multiple federal agencies and Washington’s Department of Ecology for their failure to protect multiple populations of chinook and coho salmon, southern resident killer whales, steelhead...

New Mexico groups sound alarm on governor’s hydrogen proposal

Dec 10, 2021

Advocates label hydrogen production as a false climate solution, citing its threats to environment, public health and equity In response to New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s solicitation of comments on her proposal to make the state a “hub” for hydrogen...

Law requires Biden to cancel February oil lease sale to prevent climate harm

Dec 10, 2021

Conservation groups submitted formal comments today urging cancelation of February’s federal oil and gas lease auctions, saying the Biden administration is legally required to prevent harm from the leasing program’s greenhouse gas emissions, not just disclose it. “The...

Lawsuit targets EPA failure to clean up pollution in Puget Sound

Dec 7, 2021

Citing agency “foot-dragging” in cleaning up Puget Sound, an environmental organization sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in federal court today. The lawsuit challenges EPA’s failure to take a key step towards cleaning up nitrogen pollution in Puget...

Conservation groups seek records on climate failure of Biden oil, gas review

Dec 2, 2021

Climate and conservation groups filed a Freedom of Information Act request today seeking public records from the Interior Department relating to its recent report reviewing the federal oil and gas leasing programs that presumes expanded leasing. “This flimsy report...

After Years of legal advocacy, community organizing, Jordan Cove LNG export terminal and pipeline is dead

Dec 2, 2021

Pembina, the Canadian company that tried to impose a fracked gas pipeline and export terminal on communities across Southern Oregon, today filed a formal request asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to cancel its permit for the project. The company’s...

ADVISORY: WELC director to testify on oil and gas at U.S. House Energy and Natural Resources oversight hearing

Nov 30, 2021

On Thursday, December 2, Western Environmental Law Center Executive Director Erik Schlenker-Goodrich will testify before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources at an oversight hearing titled...

Biden administration lobs weak oil and gas leasing report the day after Thanksgiving

Nov 26, 2021

Today, the Biden administration released its long-promised “comprehensive review” of the federal public lands oil and gas leasing system. Issuing news releases on Friday, the slowest news day of the week, is a media strategy to kill news. Today, the Biden...

Conservation groups relieved protections will remain for 3.4 million acres of critical northern spotted owl habitat

Nov 9, 2021

Conservation groups in the Pacific Northwest have expressed relief that a final rule issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Fish and Wildlife) will reinstate federal protections for old-growth forests, forests essential for the survival of the northern spotted...