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Judge Vacates Land Exchange, Halts Road Through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge
A federal judge today vacated an illegal closed-door deal between the U.S. Department of the Interior and a for-profit Alaska Native corporation, King Cove Corp., that exchanged a 10.5-mile corridor of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness lands to enable a road connecting King Cove and Cold Bay.
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Defenders Strongly Opposes USDA Proposal to Dismantle Long-Standing Protections for National Forests
The United States Department of Agriculture today announced that the U.S. Forest Service has filed a proposed rule to fully rescind the national 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule — a bedrock conservation policy that has protected nearly 45 million acres of undeveloped backcountry forests for over two decades.
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Defenders Joins Conservationists In Blasting Federal Proposal to Bulldoze Forestlands
Conservation groups today called a plan by the Trump administration to rescind the U.S. Forest Service’s Roadless Area Conversation Rule an alarming threat to national forests that are overwhelmingly loved by Americans.
Press Releases
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Lower Snake River Dams Should Stay Standing, Say Federal Agencies
This week, federal agencies again ignored science and public opinion in a management plan for federal dams in the Columbia River Basin. The plan, a final environmental impact statement (EIS), applies to 14 dams and reservoirs that comprise the Columbia River Hydropower System. Research shows that four dams in particular – located on the lower Snake River – negatively impact the recovery of endangered Pacific salmon and southern resident orcas as a result.
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Administration Limits Protections for Endangered Wildlife Habitat
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have proposed a new regulation that will redefine “habitat” and weaken protections for imperiled species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
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U.S. House Adopts Amendment Adding $1.5 Million to Right Whale Funds
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives adopted an amendment to the fiscal year 2021 Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill, increasing funding for monitoring and researching the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale by $1.5 million.
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Cuts to Sea Turtle Recovery Program Will Hurt Species
In June, a report published by the National Park Service recommends decreasing funding for the Padre Island National Seashore Sea Turtle Science and Recovery (STSR) program, even while no alternative funding plan is in place.
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Rep. Huffman Introduces Polar Bear Cub Survival Act
Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) introduced the Polar Bear Cub Survival Act of 2020 in response to reports that lease sales in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge are imminent. Drilling would further threaten the critically-imperiled Southern Beaufort Sea polar bear population, especially by increasing the risk of death to newborn polar bear cubs sheltered in maternal dens in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
jcovey@defenders.org
