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Rice's Whale
WASHINGTON, D.C.

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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Merrit Island National Wildlife Refuge at sunset
Washington, D.C.

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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Willet
Washington, D.C.

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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Southern sea otters float at Moss Landing, California.
Sacramento, Calif.

Salmon Fishers Can Help Save Sea Otters

This weekend marked the beginning of the recreational salmon season in the ocean south of San Francisco, and anglers will flock to harbors along the central California coast to launch their boats and try their luck. This increased fishing activity brings concerns about sea otter safety as more boaters venture into waters where hard-to-spot sea otters forage for food.
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Photo of the White House in Washington, DC
Washington, DC

Defenders Applauds Biden’s American Jobs Plan

Today in Pittsburgh, President Biden announced his American Jobs Plan, which will speed up the transition to clean energy, repeal subsidies and foreign tax credits or the fossil fuel industry and tackle social and racial inequities in energy development.
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Block Island Wind Farm
Washington, D.C.

Biden Administration to Expand Offshore Wind

The Biden administration announced plans today for a significant expansion of the nation’s offshore wind efforts. Officials announced a goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by the end of the decade, offsetting fossil fuels and creating clean energy jobs.
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baby desert tortoise in shell
San Francisco, CA

Lawsuit Launched Over Federal Project Threatening Desert Tortoises, Other Imperiled Species in California Deserts

Environmental groups filed a formal notice today of their intent to sue the Interior Department, U.S. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for authorizing activities in the California Desert Conservation Area that are driving desert tortoises and other threatened and endangered species toward extinction.
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Mojave Desert Tortoise, Mojave Max, on stones
Los Angeles, CA

Lawsuit Targets Trump Administration’s Last-minute Pipeline Approval for California Desert Water Grab

Conservation groups sued the U.S. Bureau of Land Management today for granting a right-of-way to Cadiz, Inc. to push billions of gallons of water through a mothballed oil-and-gas pipeline that crosses Mojave Trails National Monument and other protected public land in southeastern California.
Senior Vice President, External Affairs
lsheehan@defenders.org
(202) 772-3244
Communications Director
mdewane@defenders.org
(202) 772-0217
Communications Specialist
jcovey@defenders.org
Communications Specialist
kirby@defenders.org
(202) 772-3268