News Releases
Conservationists seek to defend basic federal oil and gas fiscal reforms from industry complaint
Today, a coalition of conservation groups filed a formal request to intervene in an industry lawsuit in order to defend the Bureau of Land Management’s oil and gas leasing rule finalized in April. The rule contains decades-overdue fiscal reforms, including changes to...
CAREER OPPORTUNITY: Climate & Energy Program Attorney
Job Opening Announcement: Climate & Energy Program Attorney Reports to: Climate & Energy Program Director Location: Santa Fe or Taos, NM. Other WELC office locations, including remote, may be considered, for the right candidate in the right situation....
Third legal intervention filed to defend federal public lands conservation rule from lawsuits
Community, Tribal and environmental groups today filed a motion to intervene in a third federal lawsuit challenging the Bureau of Land Management’s new public lands rule, which creates a framework for the agency to manage 245 million acres for conservation. The...
Agreement moves Washington’s orcas, salmon toward cyanide pollution protections
The Center for Biological Diversity today reached an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that puts the agency on the path to protecting imperiled fish and southern resident killer whales from toxic cyanide in Washington state’s waters. After more...
Legal intervention launched to defend federal public lands conservation rule from ND, MT, ID lawsuit
Community, Tribal and environmental groups today filed a motion to intervene in a federal lawsuit from the states of North Dakota, Montana, and Idaho challenging the Bureau of Land Management’s new public lands rule, which creates a framework for the agency to manage...
Reaction to demolition of smokestacks at San Juan Generating Station
Advocates have been working for years to facilitate a transition to clean energy, ending coal’s polluting legacy and the region’s economic over-dependence on fossil fuels At 9 a.m. on Saturday morning, explosions rocked the bases of the four massive smokestacks that...
Federal court clarifies 2023 changes to National Environmental Policy Act for first time
Today, the D.C. District Court denied an attempt by Signal Peak Energy to force the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) to rush an environmental review of a proposed 175-million-ton expansion at the Bull Mountains coal mine in Montana...
Summer Law Clerk Positions – Summer 2025
Job Title/Location: Summer Law Clerk/Helena, Montana; Eugene, Oregon; or Santa Fe, New Mexico Time of Work: Full-time; 1.0 FTE (maximum 40 hours/week) Classifications: Temporary; Non-Exempt; Hourly Employment Term: May 2025 to August 2025 with start/end dates agreed...
Judge’s decision after August 2nd hearing may shield grizzlies from government killing and help connect populations
On August 2, a federal district court in Missoula will hear final arguments in a case challenging Wildlife Services’ practice of killing grizzly bears in Montana. The plaintiffs say the program has inadequately analyzed how these slayings may harm the grizzly bear population and its recovery. The hearing before Federal District Court Judge Dana L. Christensen will determine whether Wildlife Services, a wildlife-killing program under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has failed to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act before killing or removing grizzly bears in Montana.
Montana Supreme Court hears oral arguments in landmark youth-led constitutional climate case Held v. State of Montana
Today, attorneys for the 16 plaintiffs in the historic youth-led constitutional climate case, Held v. State of Montana, presented oral arguments before the Montana Supreme Court. In a packed courtroom, attorneys for the plaintiffs argued to uphold the August 2023...
Media Inquiries:
Brian Sweeney
Communications Director
262-914-1113