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Defenders Slams Unlawful God Squad Vote to Strip Endangered Species Act Protection from Wildlife in the Gulf
Defenders of Wildlife strongly opposes today’s vote by the Endangered Species Committee, or God Squad, to condemn species to extinction in the name of a fictitious “national security emergency.”
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Court Victory for Florida Wetlands Protection
The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled today that permits to build in wetlands should stay in the hands of
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Sec. of Defense Invokes False “National Security” Rationale to Eviscerate Endangered Species Act Protections for Wildlife in the Gulf
In a litigation filing yesterday in federal district court, the Trump administration publicly admitted for the first time that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum scheduled a snap meeting of the Endangered Species Committee (the “God Squad”) for March 31 at the request of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Press Releases
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Critically Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale Population Drops to Estimated 336
Today, the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium announced that the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale’s population continued its decade-long decline, dropping from 366 in 2019 to 336 in 2020—an 8% decline.
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Former Georgia and Federal Officials Decry Proposed Okefenokee Mining Project
In a full-page letter published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution yesterday, a bipartisan group of eight former Georgia and federal officials, including two cabinet secretaries, spoke out against a proposed titanium mine on the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp.
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Biden Administration Will Not Appeal Court Decision to Halt Willow Arctic Drilling Project
The Biden administration decided not to appeal a court decision voiding the flawed Trump-era approvals and permits for ConocoPhillips’ Willow Master Development Plan. The court determined in August that the Interior Department violated the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act.
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Harmful Sage-Grouse Rider Dropped from Senate Interior Approps Bill For the First Time Since 2014
Following the release of the Senate Interior Appropriations bill, both House and Senate bills have excluded the rider preventing Endangered Species Act protections for the greater sage-grouse which has been included in bills since 2014.
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Court Ruling: Federal Government Must Address Poaching in Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Plan
In response to a lawsuit by conservation groups, a judge has ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) must add specific actions to address the poaching of Mexican gray wolves in their plan for the species’ recovery.
jcovey@defenders.org
