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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Memo Underscores Trump Administration’s All-Fronts War on Wildlife
Brian Nesvik, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, issued a memorandum explaining to FWS staff that the Endangered Species Act’s prohibition on unauthorized “take” applies only to affirmative acts intentionally and purposefully directed at a particular animal. This follows the Trump administration’s rescission of the regulatory definitions of “harm” under the ESA, which took effect this week.
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Court Rules Habitat Must Be Protected After FWS Attempts to Waive Protections for Less Than 40 Sierra Nevada Red Fox
Defenders of Wildlife earned a significant victory for the Endangered Species Act today when a federal district court found that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision to not designate critical habitat for the endangered Sierra Nevada red fox was a violation of the law.
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Construction on Gateway to Road through Izembek Continues
The Ninth Circuit today denied Defenders of Wildlife’s emergency motion to halt construction on King Cove Corp.’s 2.8-mile road segment leading to the doorstep of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness. Defenders’ request for immediate injunctive relief marks the latest stage in its larger effort to block a damaging and precedent-setting road from King Cove to Cold Bay, Alaska, that would plow through the heart of Izembek.
Press Releases
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Supreme Court Guts Clean Air Act
In the case of West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 today to significantly narrow the scope of the Clean Air Act, causing a major setback for President Biden’s plan to rein in greenhouse gas emissions from fossil-fuel-burning powerplants.
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Lawsuit Launched Over Federal Failure to Protect Shortfin Mako Shark as Endangered or Threatened Species
Defenders of Wildlife and the Center for Biological Diversity sent a notice today of their intent to sue NOAA Fisheries for its failure to protect the shortfin mako shark under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
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Recertification of Lobster Fishery Would Harm Right Whales, Mislead Consumers
Defenders and other conservation groups acted today to protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale by formally objecting to a determination that the Gulf of Maine lobster fishery should be recertified to the Marine Stewardship Council sustainability standard.
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Defenders Applauds Significant Increases for Endangered Species, Wildlife Refuges in Initial Interior Appropriations Bill
Defenders of Wildlife is encouraged to see significant investments made towards addressing the biodiversity crisis in the first version of the House Interior and Environment appropriations bill—released yesterday—which if passed would take key programs to their highest funding levels ever.
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New Defenders of Wildlife Report Shows Funding is Key to Recovering Endangered Species
Today Defenders of Wildlife published a new in-depth report, T ackling the Extinction Crisis: Increasing Appropriations to the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land
jcovey@defenders.org
