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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.
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Lawsuit Filed Over Trump Administration Abandonment of Sage-Grouse Protections
Montana Wildlife Federation, Defenders of Wildlife, and The Wilderness Society today sued the U.S. Bureau of Land Management over its abandonment of critical protections for
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Defenders of Wildlife Testifies on Opportunities to Collaborate on Improving the Implementation of the Endangered Species Act
Defenders of Wildlife’s vice president of conservation policy Jake Li today testified before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife on opportunities to improve implementation of the Endangered Species Act.
Press Releases
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Defenders Applauds Creation of Castner Range National Monument in Texas
Defenders of Wildlife praised President Biden for establishing Castner Range National Monument in El Paso, Texas.
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Defenders Applauds Creation of New National Monument in Nevada
President Biden established Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in southern Nevada today. Also known as “Spirit Mountain,” it protects nearly 380,000 acres of sacred tribal and biologically significant lands in the Mojave Desert, some of which historically has been sought for large-scale energy development. This designation also links key desert tortoise habitat in Nevada and California and creates important wildlife corridors for bighorn sheep.
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Thousands of People Submit Comments Against Mining Near Okefenokee
Nearly 10,000 people submitted comments to Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division (EPD) urging Georgia to reject the proposal from Twin Pines Minerals to mine near Okefenokee Swamp.
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Conservation Groups Sue to Stop the Willow Oil Project in Alaska’s Western Arctic
Defenders of Wildlife and other conservation groups, represented by Earthjustice filed a lawsuit late last night to stop the massive Willow oil-drilling project in Alaska’s Western Arctic, which the Biden administration approved on March 13. This enormous new carbon source undermines President Biden’s promises to slash greenhouse-gas emissions in half by 2030 and transition the United States to clean energy.
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Biden Administration Withdraws from Izembek National Wildlife Refuge Land Swap
Today, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland revoked a land swap triggered by the Trump administration that would have paved the way for a road through Alaska’s Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. The Department of the Interior will initiate a new environmental analysis to determine if a land exchange and potential gravel road comply with federal laws and regulations.
jcovey@defenders.org
