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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Memo Underscores Trump Administration’s All-Fronts War on Wildlife
Brian Nesvik, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, issued a memorandum explaining to FWS staff that the Endangered Species Act’s prohibition on unauthorized “take” applies only to affirmative acts intentionally and purposefully directed at a particular animal. This follows the Trump administration’s rescission of the regulatory definitions of “harm” under the ESA, which took effect this week.
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Court Rules Habitat Must Be Protected After FWS Attempts to Waive Protections for Less Than 40 Sierra Nevada Red Fox
Defenders of Wildlife earned a significant victory for the Endangered Species Act today when a federal district court found that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision to not designate critical habitat for the endangered Sierra Nevada red fox was a violation of the law.
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Construction on Gateway to Road through Izembek Continues
The Ninth Circuit today denied Defenders of Wildlife’s emergency motion to halt construction on King Cove Corp.’s 2.8-mile road segment leading to the doorstep of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness. Defenders’ request for immediate injunctive relief marks the latest stage in its larger effort to block a damaging and precedent-setting road from King Cove to Cold Bay, Alaska, that would plow through the heart of Izembek.
Press Releases
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Environmental and Public Heath Advocates Agree: Trump is the Worst President for our Environment in History
Ahead of President Trump’s State of the Union address today, national environmental groups agree: no administration has been worse for our environment or our nation's public health than this one.
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Conservationists Challenge Weak Government Response to Urgent Wildlife Disease Threat at National Elk Refuge
A conservation coalition filed a lawsuit against the FWS challenging the agency's weak plan that leaves elk vulnerable to chronic wasting disease.
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Petition Asks U.S. Supreme Court to Overturn Border-wall Waiver Decisions
Defenders, and three other conservation groups, asked the U.S. Supreme Court today to review federal court rulings that have allowed the Trump administration to waive dozens of environmental, health and safety laws to speed construction of border walls.
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Trump Administration Seeks to Cripple Landmark Bird Law
The Trump administration is proposing formal regulations to cement into law a hotly-disputed legal opinion declaring that the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) does not protect migratory birds from harms caused by industrial activities, dramatically undercutting the law’s ability to conserve birds.
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Five Bills Securing Critical Environmental Protections Pass House Committee
The House Natural Resource Committee worked to pass five pieces of legislation (H.R. 4348, H.R. 2748, H.R. 2795, H.R. 5179 and H.R. 2956) that aim to address climate change, protect our nation’s precious wildlife and lands as well as establish a new National Wildlife Refuge.
jcovey@defenders.org
