Summary:  In northeast Nevada, environmental groups are appealing a court ruling that upholds an agreement between federal government and local officials in Elko County which allows a gravel road to run through the habitat of threatened fish along the Jarbidge River near the Nevada-Idaho line.

“The agency decision basically ignores the law and ignores the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s determination that this very activity of letting vehicles drive through the river is a threat to the habitat of the bull trout,” said Alison Flint, an Earthjustice lawyer based in Denver who last week argued the case. “There was strong local pressure to open this canyon and the Forest Service ultimately bent to that pressure,” Flint added. “It is just a matter of time until the next major flood comes roaring down the canyon and causes major damage again, and the Forest Service will be faced with another very expensive, reconstruction project. And the real point here is that the Forest Service needs to be held accountable and comply with federal laws designed to protect these resources.”

  Full Article:  http://elkodaily.com/news/no-end-to-legal-battle-over-forest-road-fish/article_abfc3af4-2c7c-11e2-9dee-001a4bcf887a.html"

  Summary:  Hawaiʻi’s governor has moved to reduce the money homeowners and businesses get from the state when they install rooftop solar energy systems. Earthjustice believes the financial incentives should be left alone.

"This Legislature has been very clear," added Earthjustice attorney David Henkin. "Hawaiʻi needs to turn to a clean energy future, and the way to do that is by making a generous credit … You're going to be throwing out of work a lot of people who are getting work, and not only good work, but clean energy work," said Henkin. "It's just disastrous policy."

  Full Article:  http://www.kitv.com/news/hawaii/Citing-spiraling-costs-Abercrombie-slashes-PV-credits/-/8905354/17353952/-/tjcj5pz/-/index.html?absolute=true"

  Summary:  A group of conservationists represented by Earthjustice opposes the American Petroleum Institute’s participation in a lawsuit aimed at establishing the federal government’s responsibility to evaluate the safety of products used to clean up oil spills. API, which is the primary national trade association of the oil and gas industry, has moved to intervene in the lawsuit, something environmentalists view with suspicion.

“We want the federal government to comply with the Clean Water Act to make sure that only dispersants that are safe for humans and the environment are used in the event of an oil spill,” said Hannah Chang in a statement, an attorney with public interest law firm Earthjustice. “We don’t need the American Petroleum Institute to be involved in this case arguing to maintain the status quo and pushing to weaken rules that should be more protective,” Chang added.

  Full Article:  http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/11/oil_industry_seeks_to_interven.html"

  Summary:  A federal lawsuit filed on behalf of environmental groups seeks to hold major industries in the San Joaquin Valley accountable for their share of ozone pollution there. The local agency charged with enforcing the federal Clean Air Act has instead forced citizens to pay almost $30 million in fines as a result of its own continuous failure to meet yearly ozone cleanup deadlines.

Earthjustice is representing clean air and other pro-environmental groups in the lawsuit. “By law, the fine for missing the cleanup deadline is supposed to be pointed at major industries,” Earthjustice says.

  Full Article:  http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/10/30/3049000/earth-log-lawsuit-challenges-valleys.html"