News Releases
NM Oil Conservation Commission to rehear double drilling rule change
The San Juan Citizens Alliance and Western Environmental Law Center applaud the decision by Gov. Lujan Grisham’s New Mexico Oil Conservation Commission (NMOCC) to set a new hearing regarding a contentious and rushed Martinez-era rule doubling of the oil and gas...
Public deserves input on double drilling under methane hot spot, near Chaco
Public watchdog groups are extending their appreciation to Gov. Lujan Grisham’s administration for scheduling of a New Mexico’s Oil Conservation Commission special meeting tomorrow to consider whether it will reopen the public process for a highly controversial,...
Court officially rejects Ochoco National Forest motorized trail system
In a final ruling late yesterday, District Court Judge Marco A. Hernandez confirmed Magistrate Judge Patricia Sullivan’s September 2018 rejection of a U.S. Forest Service plan to add 137 miles of off-road vehicle trails in central Oregon’s Ochoco National Forest...
Erik’s 2018 End-of-Year Letter
Friends, We are now two years into the Trump administration. As we reflect on this time period, our resistance to the administration’s anti-environment agenda has blocked a great number of policies that would have harmed the wildlife and public lands of the West, as...
Wildlife advocates to challenge federal beaver killing in CA over salmon
Today, wildlife advocates notified federal wildlife-killing program Wildlife Services of their plans to legally challenge the program’s beaver killing in California over its harm to endangered salmon. Wildlife Services, a program under the Department of Agriculture,...
Advocates target bear baiting in ID, WY grizzly country
Today, wildlife advocates notified the federal government they plan to legally challenge its authorization of bear baiting on National Forest System lands in Idaho and Wyoming for violations of the Endangered Species Act, citing harms to protected grizzly bears and...
Denise Fort joins Western Environmental Law Center board of directors
The Western Environmental Law Center, a nonprofit public-interest environmental law firm, is proud to announce the addition of former New Mexico Environmental Improvement Division head, Department of Finance and Administration Secretary, and University of New Mexico...
Groups Seek to Protect Wildlife and Quiet Use on San Juan National Forest
Today a coalition of groups filed a petition challenging seasonal dates for motorized single-track trail use that would harm elk and other wildlife as well as quiet use on a section of the San Juan National Forest. At the same time, the groups filed a motion to defend...
Statement: Bureau of Land Management defers oil and gas leases on 74,000 acres in Colorado
We applaud the Bureau of Land Management for listening to the public and deferring 58 of 81 oil and gas lease parcels on 74,516 acres of public land in Colorado from its December 13, 2018 sale. WELC provided technical comments opposing these leases and later filed...
Feds’ fur export approvals violate Endangered Species Act
MISSOULA, MT. — Late Friday, a federal court in Montana ruled the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) failed to adequately protect imperiled lynx from the impacts of trapping in violation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). “We are pleased the Service must now...
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