
News Releases
New report details path to improve Puget Sound water quality–and recover wild salmon populations (News Release 4/7/16)
Shift from voluntary industrial agriculture pollution programs essentialLocation:SeattleThe Western Environmental Law Center announces a new report, Agricultural Pollution in Puget Sound: Inspiration to Change Washington's Reliance on Voluntary Incentive Programs to...
In Wake of WA Climate Rule Withdrawal, Youth Petitioners Return to Court (Press Release 4/6/16)
Ordered to Act With Urgency, Ecology Responds With More DelaysLocation:SeattleLate yesterday, the youth petitioners in a precedent-setting case over climate disruption in Washington state asked the court to step in yet again after the state Department of Ecology...
Judge Rules Feds Improperly Refused to Protect Wolverines (Press Release 4/4/16)
Orders Reconsideration of Safeguards for Species Imperiled by Climate ChangeLocation:MissoulaToday, the federal district court for Montana rejected a decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to deny protections for wolverines in the contiguous U.S. The...
Guest opinion: Coal mine threatens Bull Mountain water supply
Shiloh Hernandez and Derf JohnsonIn the Bull Mountains, an hour or so northeast of Billings, two important forces in Montana’s history — coal mining and ranching — are butting heads in a way that says a lot about possible paths for the state’s future.Montana’s Board...
BLM Defers Fracking Around New Mexico’s Sacred Chaco Canyon for Third Time (Press Release 3/22/16)
Rampant Drilling in the San Juan Basin Continues to Threaten Public Health, the Climate, Clean Air and Water Location:Santa FeUPDATE: BLM has admitted an internal mix-up on this issue. The leases are not yet deferred, and we can expect a news release from the agency...
Court Rejects Water Pollution Permit for Rosebud Coal Mine (Press Release 3/18/16)
Location:HelenaYesterday the Montana First Judicial District Court ruled in favor of water quality and reinforced the state of Montana’s obligation to protect waterways from pollution caused by coal mining. The court rejected a water pollution discharge permit that...
Citizen Groups Challenge Plans to Green Light Huge Fossil Fuel Development in Powder River Basin (Press Release 3/15/16)
BLM Plans Span 10 Million Acres, 81 Billion Tons of CoalLocation:Great FallsA plan to keep open vast amounts of public land in Montana and Wyoming for fossil fuel development and drilling is short-sighted and fails to consider dramatic changes in energy markets...
Canada climate deal will multiply effects of existing U.S. plans to curb methane (Press Release 3/10/16)
Reductions will protect health, landscapes, rural communities, and taxpayersToday's announcement of a climate pact between the U.S. and Canada is great news for public health, landscape health, rural communities, the climate, and more. With Canada's agreement to...
Tribe and conservationists file suit to protect wild salmon, rural river communities (Press Release 3/3/16)
Groups Seek Alternatives to Flawed Forest Service Salvage PlanLocation:Happy Camp, Calif.Today the Karuk Tribe, along with the Environmental Protection Information Center, Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, Center for Biological Diversity, and Klamath Riverkeeper,...
Spokane River advocates petition state to increase summertime water flow (Press Release 3/1/16)
Water is needed for river health, fish, recreational boaters, and scenic beautyLocation:SpokaneOn Monday, advocates for the Spokane River petitioned the Washington Department of Ecology to increase its flow rule for the popular and heavily used Spokane River. The...
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