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Defenders Slams SPEED Act as it Speeds Toward Habitat Destruction
Defenders of Wildlife condemns Rep. Bruce Westerman’s (R-AR) SPEED ACT, H.R. 4776 the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act, ahead of Thursday’s expected floor vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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ESA Amendments Act Poses a Historic Threat to America’s Wildlife
Defenders of Wildlife remains on high alert as it braces for the House Natural Resources Committee’s full markup of Rep. Bruce Westerman’s (R-AR) Endangered Species Amendments Act of 2025. More aptly labeled the Extinction Act, the bill seeks to eviscerate the Endangered Species Act, stripping away decades of crucial protections for America’s wildlife and their habitats.
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House Vote Scheduled on Ending Gray Wolf Protections, Undermining the Endangered Species Act
The House of Representatives is expected this Thursday to vote on ending gray wolf protections, prematurely delisting gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act before
Press Releases
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Twin Pines Withdraws Applications for Mining Project Next to Okefenokee—For Now
Twin Pines Minerals, LLC has withdrawn its application to operate on roughly 2,400 acres of land along the border of the Okefenokee Swamp, announcing they will reduce the size of the permit area before resubmitting their application. The news is a temporary reprieve for the swamp, which contains the nation’s largest national wildlife refuge east of the Mississippi River and attracts over 600,000 visitors annually.
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Endangered Gray Wolf Found Dead in Northern California
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife Service announced a female gray wolf was found dead on February 5 in Shasta County.
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U.S. More Vulnerable Than Ever to Invasive Plants and Wildlife, Say Scientists
While national security has been a stated priority of the Trump administration, there is another growing threat in the U.S. that they are largely ignoring. The federal programs that coordinate to defend against invasive species of plants, animals and their far-reaching consequences are rapidly shrinking.
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Trump Administration Abandons Two National Monuments in Utah to Development
The U.S. Department of the Interior today released final Monument Management Plans and Records of Decision for lands within the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments.
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Federal Court to Hear Arguments on Prince of Wales Timber Sale
The fate of old-growth trees in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest will be up for debate in federal court on Friday, as the judge hears oral argument in a lawsuit challenging a massive timber sale on Prince of Wales Island.
jcovey@defenders.org
