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Senate Votes to Prioritize Oil Over Arctic Conservation
The United States Senate today approved resolutions under the Congressional Review Act to overturn previous Biden administration protections for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, clearing the way for expanded oil and gas drilling.
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Trump Proposal Puts America’s Most Vulnerable and Valuable Coastal Resources in the Crosshairs
Protected areas across United States coasts are in the sights of a new oil and gas drilling proposal released on Thursday by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
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Trump Administration Seeks ESA Regulatory Rollbacks, Risks Accelerating Extinction for America’s Most Vulnerable Wildlife
In a move that could accelerate the extinction crisis we face today, the Trump administration today proposed significant changes to the regulations implementing the Endangered Species Act, which, for more than 50 years, has served as the backstop to America’s most imperiled wildlife.
Press Releases
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Petition Seeks Oregon Endangered Species Protection for Southern Resident Orcas
The Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, and Whale and Dolphin Conservation filed a petition today to protect Southern Resident orcas under the Oregon Endangered Species Act. As of the most recent census, just 73 Southern Resident orcas remain, divided among three family groups.
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Vessel Strike Killed Critically Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale
A North Atlantic right whale that washed up dead Sunday was killed by a vessel collision, NOAA Fisheries confirmed today. The results of a necropsy determined the cause of death to be “catastrophic blunt force trauma,” and injuries included multiple vertebral fractures and separations that would have resulted in death shortly after the injury.
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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Announces Endangered Species Act Permitting Changes to Protect Species
Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed new regulations impacting voluntary species conservation under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) on private lands. The administration has stated the proposed rules will offer greater clarity on the criteria by which certain permits are issued.
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Gulf of Maine Lobster Fishery Abandons Bid for Sustainable Certification
In a move welcomed by the conservation community, the Gulf of Maine lobster fishery will no longer seek recertification under the “blue fish tick” ecolabel, a program of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) that purportedly assures consumers that products carrying the label come from “sustainable” fisheries.
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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Announces Status Review of Grizzly Bears
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced that it will begin a comprehensive Endangered Species Act (ESA) status review of the grizzly bear in two specific regions of the lower 48 states. The announcement, in today’s Federal Register, follows the agency’s review of three petitions to delist the bear, two of which they say presented “substantial, credible information” that may warrant action.
jcovey@defenders.org
