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Enough is Enough: Senate Blocks Yet Another Attempt to Prioritize Drilling in the Arctic
The Senate today blocked an attempt to pass S. 5438, introduced by Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK). The bill would have ratified and approved all authorizations, permits, verifications, extensions, biological opinions, incidental take statements and any other approvals or orders issued pursuant to federal law necessary for the establishment and administration of the Coastal Plain oil and gas leasing program, among other purposes.
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Senate Permitting Deal Threatens Bedrock Endangered Species Protections
Defenders of Wildlife today strongly condemned Endangered Species Act provisions reportedly included in a Senate permitting package, warning they would weaken critical protections for imperiled wildlife.
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Gov. Newsom Signs Landmark Legislation Creating California Wildlife Coexistence Program
Governor Gavin Newsom today signed into law Senate Bill 1135, establishing the California Wildlife Coexistence Program within the Department of Fish and Wildlife to better
Press Releases
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Defenders of Wildlife Petitions to Protect Imperiled Shortfin Mako Shark
Defenders of Wildlife today petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service to protect the shortfin mako shark under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The species has declined dramatically across the world’s oceans because of overfishing and fisheries bycatch. The shortfin mako is the fastest-swimming shark on record.
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Thirteenth Critically Endangered Right Whale Calf of the Season Spotted Near Georgia
Yesterday, NOAA Fisheries announced that a newborn North Atlantic right whale had been spotted near Wassaw Island, Georgia, making it the 13th calf of the 2020-2021 calving season. The newborn was accompanied by its 14-year-old mother. This calf is the mother’s first.
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Inauguration Day Brings Hope for Wildlife
President & CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark on the inauguration of Joe Biden as President of the United States.
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Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration’s Gutting of Federal Protection for Migratory Birds
National environmental groups filed a lawsuit today in the Southern District of New York challenging the Trump administration’s reinterpretation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which eliminated longstanding, vital protections for more than 1,000 species of waterfowl, raptors and songbirds.
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Trump Administration Decision To Build Highway In Utah Violates Environmental Laws And Risks Integrity Of National Conservation Lands
Today, the Trump administration’s Bureau of Land Management issued a Record of Decision permitting construction of the Northern Corridor Highway, a controversial four-lane highway through the protected Red Cliffs National Conservation Area (NCA) in southwest Utah. The US Fish & Wildlife Service also issued an Incidental Take Permit, allowing for destruction of desert tortoises in the path of the highway project and to reduce protections elsewhere. Desert tortoises are listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.
jcovey@defenders.org
