Abigail Dillen

President

dillen_abigail3-800

Media Inquiries

Lauren Wollack
Vice President, Public Affairs and Communications
lwollack@earthjustice.org

On Social Media

@AbbieDillen

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Bar Admissions

MT, NY, CA

Abigail Dillen is the President of Earthjustice, leading the organization’s staff, board and supporters to advance our mission of using the courts to protect our environment and people’s health. She is based at headquarters in San Francisco, California.

Before stepping into her current role, Abigail served as the Vice President of Litigation for Climate & Energy, heading the organization’s litigation and legal advocacy to achieve the essential shift from fossil fuels to 100% clean energy.

Prior to that, Abbie was managing attorney of Earthjustice’s Coal Program, which has played a central role in forcing the overdue retirement of coal-fired power plants around the country.

Abbie has litigated precedent-setting cases that have held polluters accountable and cleared the way for clean energy nationally. These wins include: requiring the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate first-ever standards to govern disposal of coal ash and limit the wastewater discharge of toxic pollutants from coal-fired power plants; blocking a $2 billion transmission project to transport dirty coal energy from the Ohio Valley to East Coast cities; blocking permits for new coal-fired power plants; and cutting off federal funding of new coal plants.

Abigail came to Earthjustice in 2000. Working first out of our Northern Rockies Office in Bozeman, Montana, she worked to protect public lands and the many imperiled species that depend on them, including wolves, grizzly bears, and native trout.

Abigail received her B.A. from Yale University and her law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, where she graduated Order of the Coif.

For media inquiries on the following discussion topics, please contact Earthjustice’s media team:

  • Environmental challenges under the Biden administration
  • Climate crisis and the urgent need to transition to a clean energy world
  • Building a just and equitable environmental movement and a sustainable future

Download photos of Abigail Dillen for media use.

The Latest from Abigail Dillen

February 29, 2024

In the News: The New York Times

E.P.A. to Exempt Existing Gas Plants From Tough New Rules, for Now.

“There’s no good way to regulate fossil gas plants without regulating all of them.”
January 26, 2024

In the News: The Washington Post

U.S. stalls gas export projects that activists say are ‘climate bombs’

“Liquefied natural gas is an incredibly dirty fuel, and the scale of exports that the U.S. has built up over the last few years has enormous global climate implications.”
Beyond Carbon Logo
September 20, 2023

Joining Forces to Fight the Climate Crisis and Move Beyond Carbon

Earthjustice and Beyond Carbon partner to accelerate the clean energy transition and advance environmental justice.
July 7, 2023

America’s Clean Energy Transition Needs Federal Action – Not Rollbacks

To speed up clean energy we must tackle the transmission bottleneck – right now.
January 27, 2023

In the News: Bloomberg News

Biden Faces Climate Litmus Test on ConocoPhillips’s Alaska Oil Project

“The decision on this project is a bellwether of whether we’re actually going to do something serious about climate in time or whether we are just pretending.”
Electricity transmission lines.
December 22, 2022

A Roadmap for the Clean Energy Future We Need

We must reject the false choice between quickly ramping up transmission and protecting communities from harmful permitting decisions.

The founders and leaders of the organizations that created the Climate Justice Pavilion, from left: Dr. Beverly Wright of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, Dr. Robert Bullard of the Bullard Center for Environmental Justice, and Peggy Shepar
November 21, 2022

What We Saw at COP27: Lackluster Outcomes but Hopeful Connections

Centering justice and community at the UN Climate Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

Julian Robertson
August 25, 2022

In Memory: Julian Robertson

Earthjustice mourns the passing of philanthropist Julian Robertson.

Solar panels at Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center in Montezuma County, Colorado
December 22, 2021

This is What Climate Hope Looks Like

If the Build Back Better Act passes Congress, all Americans will see improvements in their daily lives.
December 20, 2021

In the News: National Public Radio

EPA announces tighter fuel economy standards for cars and trucks

"This rule will help tackle the climate crisis and reduce dangerous air pollution in our communities. Now we need strong, long-term standards to ultimately electrify all new cars and light-duty trucks by 2035. We'll continue to fight for standards that move us toward a zero-emissions transportation sector powered by 100% clean energy."
November 19, 2021

In the News: New York Times

House Passes the Largest Expenditure on Climate in U.S. History

“It’s here now. And we need bold action from our government to deploy the clean technologies and natural solutions that will carry every community, including those that have too long borne the brunt of pollution and climate catastrophe, into a safe and vibrant future.”
October 28, 2021

In the News: NBC News

Biden’s scaled-down spending bill has big upsides for climate fight

“When folks hear tax credits, they tend to think of only utilities and wind and solar power, which of course are hugely important. But this is a holistic package that accelerates clean energy across every sector of the economy.”
Photo of the late Daniel Greenberg, Earthjustice honorary life trustee
March 29, 2021

Remembering Dan Greenberg, Board Chair 1991-1993

The strong and flourishing organization that Earthjustice is today will always owe Dan a huge debt of gratitude.
Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021. Demonstrators breeched security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the a 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certifica
January 8, 2021

Trump’s Insurrection Shows We Must Strengthen Protection of Our Democracy

Congress must immediately remove Trump from the office of the presidency.
Los partidarios de Trump se enfrentan a la policía y las fuerzas de seguridad mientras asaltan el Capitolio de los Estados Unidos en Washington, D.C. el 6 de enero de 2021. Los manifestantes violaron protocolos de seguridad y entraron al Capitolio mient
January 6, 2021

La Insurrección De Trump Demuestra Que Debemos Fortalecer La Protección De Nuestra Democracia

El Congreso debe destituir inmediatamente a Trump de su cargo
Photo of the late Elizabeth McCormack (seated on left) with fellow Earthjustice Trustee Elizabeth Sutherland
December 21, 2020

In Honor of Elizabeth J. McCormack

We celebrate a life committed to charity and counsel as we honor Elizabeth J. McCormack.
June 19, 2020

La Justicia Ambiental No Sobrepasa La Justicia Racial

Este 19 de junio nos preguntamos qué podemos aportar al movimiento transformador de Las Vidas Negras Importan – y comenzamos a obtener respuestas
Demonstrators gather after marching at the Louisiana Capitol to protest the shooting of Alton Sterling on July 9, 2016 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
June 18, 2020

Environmental Justice Does Not Transcend Racial Justice

This Juneteenth, we are asking — and beginning to answer — what we can contribute to the transformative Black Lives Matter movement.
The construction of a gas pipeline in Michigan.
May 21, 2020

Trump Administration’s Order to Gut Protections in the Name of COVID Will Harm Communities for Polluter Profits

Protecting our air and water is crucial during this global health crisis, says Earthjustice President Abigail Dillen.
Abigail Dillen
January 21, 2020

Encontrando Nuestro Poder

Nuestra nueva serie de narración de historias, "LIT: Historias a la Vanguardia de la Justicia Climática", busca elevar los relatos de personas que luchan por un futuro justo y un clima habitable, e inspirar a otros a que hagan lo mismo.
Abigail Dillen
January 17, 2020

Finding Our Power

Our new storytelling series, LIT: Stories from the Frontlines of Climate Justice, seeks to elevate the stories of people pushing for a just future and livable climate — and inspire others to do the same.
January 7, 2020

En Memoria de David Stern

Durante 35 años, David aportó su talento y su enorme corazón para apoyar a Earthjustice
David Stern, during a news conference in 2013.
January 6, 2020

In Memory: David Stern

For 35 years, David brought his tough-minded talent and enormous heart to bear in supporting Earthjustice.
Deborah Adegbile lives in Lagos, Nigeria, where extreme flooding has made it difficult for her to get to school. She is one of 16 youths who brought a UN petition calling for immediate climate action.
September 25, 2019

Time to Listen to Those Affected Most by Climate Change

Earthjustice has worked with environmental justice leaders and colleagues at other national organizations over the last year to co-author the Equitable and Just National Climate Platform.
David Klipstein
August 20, 2019

In Memoriam: David Klipstein

Dave’s expertise and financial support enabled Earthjustice to grow its fledgling international program into a major force for transitioning the world away from fossil fuels to clean energy.
Participants in the 2017 March for Science in Washington, DC., protested the Trump administration's anti-science attacks.
December 13, 2018

Tired of Losing in Court, Trump Administration Amplifies Attack on Science

The Trump administration is acutely aware of science’s role in pushing for effective government regulation, so it’s instituted a sneak attack on science.
Imágenes satelitales del huracán Michael tocando tierra el 10 de octubre de 2018, en Florida. Climas extremos y calentamientos del mar amenazan a comunidades en muchas partes de los Estados Unidos.
October 17, 2018

En la lucha contra el cambio climático, los estados están produciendo soluciones

Mientras Trump siga destruyendo protecciones ambientales, los estados serán los responsables de una política ambiental.
Leigh Bolding, center, cries with her daughter Kayla Cromer, right, as she holds her grandchildren at an evacuation shelter in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. Extreme weather fueled by climate change threatens communities across the United States.
October 15, 2018

As Scientists Sound Climate Change Alarm, States Lead on Solutions

With Trump gutting environmental protections, states must take charge on smart climate policy.
Abigail Dillen, President of Earthjustice.
October 1, 2018

Welcome From Our New President, Abigail Dillen

We’ve been filing lawsuits at a breakneck pace, and now the reckoning has begun.
Thanksgiving dinner
November 21, 2017

How to Talk to Your Relatives About Climate Change (And Maybe Change Their Minds)

There's no time like the holidays to engage your loved ones on this important issue.
Jonah gas field in Wyoming
October 30, 2017

Here’s the dirt that industry won’t tell you about “clean” natural gas

Don't be misled by its healthy-sounding name. Natural gas won't help solve climate change.
Las plantas de carbón como esta en Springdale, PA, son una vista común en todo el país. El Plan de Energía Limpia impone límites de carbono que reducen la quema de carbón.
October 10, 2017

En medio de desastres climáticos, Trump y Pruitt eliminan el Plan de Energía Limpia

Mientras que huracanes e incendios forestales de proporciones históricas afectan a miles de estadounidenses, el presidente Trump y Scott Pruitt tratan de asegurar que los Estados Unidos no haga nada para controlar el cambio climático.
Abigail Dillen, VP of Litigation for Climate & Energy.
October 10, 2017

Amidst Climate Disasters, Trump and Pruitt to Scrap Clean Power Plan

As unprecedented hurricanes and wildfires rage across the United States, President Trump and Scott Pruitt try to ensure the U.S. does nothing to rein in climate change.

Members of Global Climate Convergence march in the 2014 Peoples Climate March. Saturday’s Peoples Climate March in Washington, D.C., will be an expression of solidarity, determination and hope for the future.
April 27, 2017

Peoples Climate March Will Show the World Americans Care about Climate Change

Saturday’s Peoples Climate March in Washington, D.C., will be an expression of solidarity, determination and hope for the future.
Lake Michigan dunes with power plant in background
April 14, 2017

Pruitt’s ‘Back to Basics’ Plan Takes Us Back to More Toxic Water

Scott Pruitt is committed to preserving and resurrecting dirty coal plants, in part by gutting environmental protections under the Clean Water Act.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivers remarks at Cop22
November 21, 2016

The Fight for U.S. Climate Action Is Just Getting Started

As world leaders gathered last week in Marrakech to figure out how to avoid the end of the world as we know it, a surprising plot twist upped the suspense. After this election, can we still save the planet?
Photo courtesy of Abigal Dillen
May 4, 2016

Calling All Mothers in a Climate Crisis

This Mother's Day, Earthjustice’s Vice President of Litigation for Climate & Energy Abigail Dillen raises a call to act on climate change.
NASA/NOAA via NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory
April 25, 2016

Sign on the Line: Declaring Our Independence From Fossil Fuels

On Earth Day, nearly 170 countries signed the global climate deal reached in Paris last December.
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily stayed the Clean Power Plan, but business leaders are already working on the transition to clean energy sources and have no plans to stop.
February 17, 2016

Supreme Court ‘Can’t Put the Genie Back in the Bottle’ When it Comes to Climate Progress

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily stayed the Clean Power Plan, but business leaders are already working on the transition to clean energy sources and have no plans to stop.
Wind turbines at sunset Jui-Chi Chan/iStock
January 25, 2016

The Supreme Court’s Gift to Climate and Consumers

In a string of victories for climate progress in the U.S., the Supreme Court today preserved crucial gains for clean energy.
Notre Dame Cathedral
December 18, 2015

Paris, Je T’aime

Last week, nearly 200 countries large and small signed an historic agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to thwart the worst impacts of climate change.
Oil refinery
December 4, 2015

Cutting Methane, Boosting Hope For Climate Success

World leaders are gathered in Paris to pledge support for taking meaningful climate action, and there may be no climate solution that is lower cost and higher impact than cutting methane pollution.
As the Climate Summit in Paris approaches, there is reason for hope that the world is finally getting serious about cutting its carbon emissions.
October 5, 2015

Can Paris be at the Vanguard of Global Climate Action?

As the Climate Summit in Paris approaches, there is reason for hope that the world is finally getting serious about cutting its carbon emissions.
Solar panels at Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center in Montezuma County, Colorado
September 11, 2015

Attacks on Solar Power Aren't off to a Good Start

A diverse coalition of community, environmental and renewable energy industry organizations are fighting to keep solar power affordable and economically competitive against heavily subsidized fossil fuels.
Earth
April 17, 2015

On Franzen's Theory and Uniting Our Climate Things

Abigail Dillen responds to author Jonathan Frazen's recent article in the New Yorker that has sparked a necessary conversation for people that care about climate change.
US Capitol January 2015
March 25, 2015

The Constitution Isn’t Burning, But the Planet Is

This week, Harvard law professor Larry Tribe captivated climate deniers and House Republicans when he went before Congress to attack the President’s Clean Power Plan.
Rachel Carson Bob Hines
March 6, 2015

Celebrating Creative Women in a Climate Crisis

Wherever Women’s History Month is observed, there are people celebrating the life and legacy of Rachel Carson, but even the wildly original Carson owed a debt to the courageous women who came before her.
Transmission lines.
August 27, 2014

Digging Out of the Money Pit to Create a Smart Grid

Our aging electric grid is in need of a major renovation to deliver electricity reliably into the next century, and one way or another, that overhaul will cost us a lot of money. The question is whether we throw more money at propping up the old architecture that is designed to deliver electricity from big fossil-fuel fired power plants, or make the forward-looking investments necessary to harness the clean energy that our future requires.
The Cheswick coal fire power plant in Springdale, PA.
July 14, 2014

Carbon Nation: Upping the Ante on EPA’s Carbon Cutting Goals

The EPA recently proposed the first-ever limits on carbon pollution from power plants, but more must be done to avoid catastrophic climate change.
A coal-fired power plant.
October 14, 2013

Getting Our Nation's New Climate Rules Right

The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change cements the urgency for U.S. leaders to move boldly and quickly on climate change, and the most logical place to start is the nation's fleet of power plants.
The TVA Allen Fossil Plant.
June 25, 2013

President’s Climate Plan is Common-Sense

President Obama’s Climate Action Plan promises, at last, a meaningful step toward controlling our carbon pollution.