Summary:  Following a lawsuit by Earthjustice, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering granting threatened species protections to the wolverine. In Montana, the state’s Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department has declared it will resist any lawsuit that would ban the trapping of wolverines, a practice that can severely threaten the species’ ability to sustain itself. Wolverines, solitary and far-ranging animals, are already a rare sight in the region.

Earthjustice attorney Tim Preso explained, “Nobody ever sees them because they’re so few. We’re talking about an extremely rare critter.” The number of breeding animals in the Western U.S. is about 25.

  Full Article:  http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20130513/OPINION/305130029?nclick_check=1"

  Summary:  Earthjustice has filed an appeal challenging the suspension of twenty-five drilling leases in Colorado’s Thompson Divide. The suspension would extend the amount of time that oil and gas companies can hold on to leases without active drilling instead of allowing the leases to expire as originally scheduled. The leases cover more than 30,000 acres, and drilling would damage both habitat and local communities.

“The field office decision has some pretty big legal flaws in it,” said Earthjustice attorney Mike Freeman. ““The bottom line for us is: Thompson Divide is an extraordinary place that deserves protection.”

  Full Article:  http://www.aspentimes.com/news/6417834-113/leases-gas-divide-thompson"

  Summary:  As part of federal budget negotiations, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has introduced a proposal to remove Endangered Species Act Protections for grey wolves across the country. This would be a serious setback to decades of conservation efforts, and Earthjustice is preparing a legal challenge in case the proposal passes.

“It’s incredibly disappointing that [the feds] are giving up on the larger vision of wolf recovery in the United States,” said Earthjustice attorney Doug Honnold. “The latest we’ve heard is that may be two months before the proposal is officially released. I fully expect the Fish and Wildlife Service to, no pun intended, stick to its guns. It does have a Groundhog Day aspect to it, but we are in it for the long haul.”

  Full Article:  http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/elist/eListRead/feds_plan_to_end_protection_for_grey_wolves_across_us"

  Summary:  A federal court overturned a lower court decision that had denied the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to reject a permit for the Spruce Mine in West Virginia. The decision upholds the agency’s veto power on permits for projects that pose a severe environmental threat and prevents that mine from aggravating Appalachian mountaintop removal.

"Today's decision is a total vindication of the Clean Water Act and EPA's vital authority to protect all American communities from all kinds of environmental harm," said Earthjustice attorney Emma Cheuse. "At bottom, it is a recognition that EPA and the Obama administration are on the right track in trying to deal with the devastating impacts of mountaintop removal."

  Full Article:  http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201304230092?page=1"