Settlements: Biden administration will address oil and gas leasing climate impacts on nearly 4 million acres of western U.S. public lands, reconsider sales to oil and gas industry
In response to lawsuits filed by WildEarth Guardians, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and the Western Environmental Law Center, the Biden administration will review and reconsider decisions to sell nearly 4 million acres of public lands oil and gas leases as...
Court again forces feds to reconsider wolverine protections, this time using science
Today, a federal judge invalidated a Trump administration decision denying protections to imperiled wolverines under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) (original complaint here). This is the second time a court has rejected a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision to...
Conservationists challenge federal logging plan that would intensively log remaining spotted owl reserves
Late yesterday, Oregon-based conservation organizations Cascadia Wildlands and Oregon Wild challenged the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Siuslaw Field Office’s plan to log public lands west of Eugene across seven watersheds. The agency’s “N126 Late Successional...
Four Corners community groups fight to retain hard-won public benefits in merger case appeal
Today, four northwest New Mexico community groups, along with the Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy (CCAE), joined an appeal to the state’s Supreme Court challenging the rejection of a merger between PNM Resources and Avangrid, a global leader in renewable energy....
Federal Judge Stops 35,000-Acre Fracking Plan in Western Colorado
A U.S. District Court judge today vacated a federal plan that allowed fracking across 35,000 acres of Colorado’s Western Slope. The North Fork Mancos Master Development Plan would have allowed 35 new fracking wells in the North Fork Valley and Thompson Divide areas of...
Groups petition Interior to use existing, long-dormant authority to rein in oil and gas
Yesterday, a coalition of 30 environmental and community groups petitioned the Department of Interior to use the agency’s longstanding authority and responsibility under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) to center public lands as a cornerstone of...
Dr. Brian Henning joins WELC board of directors
The Western Environmental Law Center, a nonprofit public-interest environmental law firm, is proud to announce the addition of Dr. Brian Henning to its board of directors. Dr. Brian G. Henning is professor of philosophy and of environmental studies at Gonzaga...
Wildlife conservation groups secure agreement from feds to evaluate Southern Rockies for lynx critical habitat
Late yesterday, the District Court of Montana approved a legal agreement wildlife conservation groups secured with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service compelling the agency to revise its Canada lynx critical habitat rule to evaluate territory in the wild cat’s southern...
88 groups offer Biden roadmap to open new doors to thriving, resilient future transition by winding down federal public lands, minerals oil, gas program
The world is facing a set of intersecting crises, from Putin’s war of aggression in Ukraine, to consumer hardship at the gas pump caused by dependency on fossil fuels, to ever-intensifying climate impacts. To address these crises, the Western Environmental Law Center...
Legal agreement: Land managers will reconsider allowing target shooting in 90% of Sonoran Desert National Monument, providing opportunity to protect desert life, cultural resources
Late yesterday, the Arizona District Court in Phoenix approved a legal agreement requiring the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to re-examine its decision to allow target shooting in 90% of Sonoran Desert National Monument, a quiet oasis of saguaro cacti, native desert...
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