Some top stories from the past week at Earthjustice…

Earthjustice lawyers took home a big win after the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request to review a case that eliminated industrial facilities’ ability to ignore pollution limits whenever they start up, shut down or malfunction

Light pollution can mean lights out for many animals such as seabirds and sea turtles, who often make the fatal mistake of confusing artificial lights with natural cues like the horizon. Last week, Earthjustice shined the light on one particularly disturbing case—a brightly lit luxury Hawaiian resort that is the single greatest cause of deaths and injuries from artificial lights among endangered Newell’s shearwater seabirds.

The environmental community mourned the loss of conservation titan Dr. Ed Wayburn, whose efforts inspired thousands of citizen activists, including many Earthjustice staff, board and supporters.

With a $2.8 billion budget shortfall and a generally bleak economic climate, there’s a movement growing in Olympia, Wash. to repeal a generous tax break enjoyed by the state’s largest polluter, the TransAlta coal plant in Centralia. Earthjustice is pushing for TransAlta to run a cleaner plant that protects public health.