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Lawsuit Imminent to Save Wolves
Earthjustice is preparing to sue the Obama administration over its stunning decision to withdraw protections from northern gray wolves. Any day now, a notice of intent to sue will be filed, giving Interior Sec. Ken Salazar just 60 days to rescind his wolf edict or face court action. Salazar last week said he will strip…
Read MoreThe King and Egg and I
That yellow you see is egg on our face. A few weeks back, the Senate passed a bill providing for a two-million acre expansion of the National Wilderness Preservation System, and we all cheered. It was a umbrella bill that encompassed some 170 smaller bills, many of which had been pending for years. One small…
Read MoreOld-Growth Critter Gets Good News
Reversing its August 2008 decision, the California Fish and Game Commission recently voted to grant candidate status to the Pacific fisher under the California Endangered Species Act. This begins the review process to determine if full protection is warranted. Earthjustice and our colleagues at Center for Biological Diversity have worked to protect the fisher for…
Read MoreColorado Drilling Rules Pass First Legislative Test
Last week, a Colorado legislative committee approved new oil and gas drilling rules that will protect drinking water, wildlife and the state’s natural resources. The state spent almost two years developing the rules, which will be the most comprehensive in the nation, to deal with the impacts of the state’s unprecedented oil and gas boom.…
Read MoreOf Florida Bully-boys and Lawsuits
Down here in Florida, we are continuing our fight against the giant, destructive phosphate strip mines that trash our landscapes and pollute our water. Our latest legal battle aims at some incredible strong-arm corporate tactics that Mosaic Phosphate is using to shut out local citizens and get its local land-use approvals to mine in the…
Read MoreCoal-Fired Power Station "Postponed"
The watchdog role Earthjustice and our clients play is vital, even if these issues never get into a courtroom.
Read MoreSalazar Shocker: Wolves Back in Gunsights
Interior Sec. Ken Salazar stunned the environmental world this morning by agreeing to remove northern gray wolves from protections of the Endangered Species Act. By doing so, Salazar has endorsed one of the more infamous actions taken by Bush on his way out of office. Or, as Earthjustice Attorney Jenny Harbine put it: "The federal…
Read MoreSenators Seek EPA Control of Coal Ash
Yesterday—10 weeks after a billion-gallon spill of coal ash in Tennessee—two U.S. senators challenged the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate disposal and storage of the toxic sludge. Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Thomas Carper (D-DE) submitted a resolution requesting rules "as quickly as possible" and calling on the Tennessee Valley Authority to "be a national…
Read MoreMoving Mountains by Removing Them
A few years ago, I climbed aboard a small airplane in Charleston, WV, and took off for a bird’s eye view of mountaintop removal. The spectacle left me speechless, mouth agape in awe at the vast and total demolition of one of the world’s oldest mountain ranges. When we took off, I foolishly expected to see…
Read MoreESA Bush Rule Frozen by Obama
The Obama administration signalled today that it is rescinding a last-minute rule change by the Bush administration that eliminated a requirement that executive agencies (the Forest Service, for example) must consult with scientific experts in the Fish and Wildlife Service or NOAA when a project may affect protected species. When Bush instituted the change last…
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