News & Updates

Report: State regulations allow rampant natural gas waste (Press Release 1/13/16)

Jan 13, 2016

Strong BLM rule needed to prevent resource waste, protect public health, royalties, environmentToday, the Western Environmental Law Center and Western Organization of Resource Councils released a report on state oil and gas regulations for methane waste. The authors...

Groups file suit to protect threatened salmon and trout in the Puyallup River (Press Release 1/12/16)

Jan 12, 2016

Location:SeattleA coalition of conservation groups filed suit today to protect Puget Sound Chinook salmon, steelhead and bull trout – all threatened with extinction – from being killed by the Electron hydroelectric project on the Puyallup River. "Wild salmon and...

Court orders Idaho to stop illegal trapping of protected lynx (Press Release 1/11/16)

Jan 12, 2016

Location:Victor, IdahoA federal judge today ordered Idaho officials to come up with trapping restrictions to prevent Canada lynx–one of the rarest cats in the nation–from being inadvertently but illegally hurt or killed across more than 20,000 square miles of the...

Lawsuit to Challenge Feds’ Approval of Decades More Coal Pollution at Four Corners (Press Release 12/21/15)

Dec 22, 2015

Location:PhoenixAfter years of refusal by U.S. government agencies to address coal pollution damage from the Four Corners Power Plant and Navajo Mine, Diné (Navajo), regional and national conservation groups today took joint legal action to seek justice for impacts to...

Conservationists deal blow to Wildlife Services in landmark WA wolf case (Press Release 12/21/15)

Dec 21, 2015

Court rejects indiscriminate wolf killingLocation:Olympia, WAIn response to a challenge brought by a coalition of conservation organizations, a federal court rejected plans to escalate cruel wolf killing in Washington state by the secretive federal program dubbed...

In Advance of Paris Climate Talks, Washington Court Recognizes Constitutional and Public Trust Rights and Announces Agency’s Legal Duty to Protect Atmosphere for Present and Future Generations (Press Release 11/20/15)

Nov 20, 2015

“[I]f ever there were a time to recognize through action this right to preservation of a healthful and pleasant atmosphere, the time is now”Location:Seattle, WALate last night, King County Superior Court Judge Hollis R. Hill issued a groundbreaking ruling in the...

Tipsheet Timeline: Washington Youth Climate Case (Press Release 11/19/15)

Nov 19, 2015

Soon, King County Superior Court Judge Hollis Hill will issue a ruling in the unprecedented case of seven youth petitioners requesting the Washington Department of Ecology to write a carbon emissions rule that protects the atmosphere for their generation and those to...

In Front of Packed Courtroom, Young Petitioners Ask Judge to Uphold Their Rights to a Safe Environment (Press Release 11/3/15)

Nov 4, 2015

Location:Seattle, WAToday, young Washington citizens sat in a packed King County courtroom and watched as their attorney, Andrea Rodgers gave a stunning and impassioned argument to the court as she fought for her clients’ right to a healthy environment and safe...

Montana Board of Environmental Review Rejects Coal Mine Expansion (Press Release 10/20/15)

Oct 20, 2015

MT DEQ Permit Did Not Adequately Protect GroundwaterLocation:Helena, MTOn Friday, the Montana Board of Environmental Review rejected a Department of Environmental Quality coal mine expansion permit that would have doubled the size of the Bull Mountains mine near...

Hearing in Youths’ Landmark Climate Change Lawsuit Held in Seattle at King County Courthouse (Press Release 10/13/15)

Oct 13, 2015

Location:Seattle, WAWHAT:Judge Hollis Hill will hear oral argument in the important case brought by seven young Washingtonians to address Washington Department of Ecology’s persistent refusal to set science-based carbon pollution limits. WHEN:Tuesday, November...