Press Releases
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Lawsuit Aims to Protect Endangered Species From Oil Drilling in Gulf of Mexico
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity and scientist Stuart Pimm, Ph.D., filed a lawsuit today challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to comply with the Endangered Species Act in assessing harm to endangered and threatened species from offshore oil and gas activities.
Read more.Appeals Court Orders U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Fix Regulations Allowing Fossil Fuel Industry to Harm Polar Bears
ANCHORAGE, Alaska— The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must correct legal errors in a regulation that allows oil and gas companies to harass Southern Beaufort Sea polar bears on the North Slope of Alaska.
Read more.Legal Petition Aims to Plug Thousands of Old Offshore Oil Wells
WASHINGTON— Nine conservation organizations filed a legal petition today demanding that the Interior Department enact robust regulatory reforms and enforce deadlines for thousands of old offshore oil wells and platforms that are overdue for decommissioning.
Read more.Southern Resident Orcas Receive Oregon Endangered Species Protections
PORTLAND, Ore.— The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted today to protect Southern Resident orcas under the state’s Endangered Species Act, responding to a February 2023 petition from the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, and Whale and Dolphin Conservation.
Read more.Critically Endangered Right Whale Dies Because of Biden Administration Inaction
BOSTON— A North Atlantic right whale reported dead 20 miles off Georgia on Feb. 13 was likely hit and killed by a vessel strike, NOAA Fisheries announced today. The whale was identified as a female born to first-time mother Pilgrim during the 2022-2023 calving season. While final necropsy results are pending, the injuries documented are consistent with blunt force trauma caused by a vessel strike.
Read more.ExxonMobil Drops Court Bid to Truck Oil in Santa Barbara
LOS ANGELES— ExxonMobil’s dangerous proposal to truck massive amounts of oil along California highways is dead after the company dropped its lawsuit challenging Santa Barbara County’s denial of the plan.
Read more.Maine Fishing Gear Entangled Critically Endangered Female North Atlantic Right Whale
WASHINGTON— NOAA Fisheries announced today that fishing gear found entangling a dead North Atlantic right whale that washed ashore on Martha’s Vineyard in late January is linked to the state of Maine.
Read more.Deadline Sought on Overdue Protections for North Atlantic Right Whales
WASHINGTON— Conservation groups asked a federal court today to allow paused litigation to proceed in pursuit of a deadline for final action on a proposed rule expanding protections for North Atlantic right whales from deadly vessel strikes.
Read more.Solicitan designar a las Islas Galápagos como Patrimonio Mundial “En Peligro”
PARÍS— Grupos conservacionistas solicitaron formalmente hoy que el sitio del Patrimonio Mundial de las Islas Galápagos sea incluido como “en peligro” según la Convención del Patrimonio Mundial.
Read more.Galapagos Islands Needs World Heritage ‘In Danger’ Status, Groups Say
PARIS— Conservation groups formally requested today that the Galapagos Islands World Heritage site be listed as “in danger” under the World Heritage Convention.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched to Challenge Destructive Bottom-Trawl Study in Bering Sea
ANCHORAGE, Alaska— Several Alaska Native Tribal Governments and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a formal notice today of their intent to sue the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for unlawfully authorizing a multi-year experimental bottom-trawl study in the northern Bering Sea.
Read more.North Atlantic Right Whale Calf, Member of Critically Endangered Species, Likely to Die From Vessel Strike Injuries
EDISTO, S.C.— A two-month-old right whale calf whose head, mouth and lips were split open by a boat propeller was seen off South Carolina on Jan. 6. Fishermen who sighted the calf recognized the whale was injured and provided video and images to NOAA Fisheries.
Read more.Final Marine Critical Habitat Issued for Threatened Nassau Grouper
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— The National Marine Fisheries Service announced critical habitat designations today for the threatened Nassau grouper. The agency’s final rule protects more than 900 square miles in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The fish’s nearshore ocean habitat faces threats from pollution, coastal development and climate change harms like ocean warming and acidification.
Read more.Lawsuit Aims to Protect Pacific Sea Turtles From Fishing Gear
SAN FRANCISCO— The Center for Biological Diversity and Turtle Island Restoration Network sued the National Marine Fisheries Service today for failing to protect Pacific leatherback sea turtles and their critical habitat from sablefish pot gear that can entangle and drown the endangered animals.
Read more.Activists Tell Costco: Lobster Products Pose Risk to Endangered Whales
SAN FRANCISCO— Several activists dressed as lobsters delivered a petition with more than 20,000 signatures to the management at a Costco store today. The petition urges the company to stop selling lobster products not certified as sustainable.
Read more.Por muerte de delfines y ballenas, EE. UU. debe prohibir productos marinos de México y otros 10 países, según informe
WASHINGTON— Un informe difundido hoy por organizaciones conservacionistas revela que existen pesquerías en al menos 11 países, incluyendo México, que no satisfacen los criterios estadounidenses para evitar la captura accidental de cetáceos como ballenas y delfines. Se estima que cada año, los enredos en equipos de pesca matan cientos de miles de estos mamíferos marinos a nivel global.
Read more.Report: U.S. Must Ban Seafood From 11 Nations Over Whale, Dolphin Deaths
WASHINGTON— A report issued today by conservation groups finds that 11 nations have at least some fisheries that fail to meet U.S. standards for preventing whale and dolphin bycatch. Entanglement in fishing gear kills hundreds of thousands of marine mammals around the globe every year.
Read more.Third U.N. Plastics Treaty Talks End Without Firm Plan to Fight Production Threat
NAIROBI— The third session of the United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution, or INC-3, ended today with plans to compile a revised draft of an agreement before the end of the year. The forthcoming draft will be the basis of negotiation at the next session in April 2024, INC-4.
Read more.Companies Lobbying for Weak U.N. Plastics Treaty Spend Big on U.S. Politics
NAIROBI— Companies attending negotiations for the U.N. global plastics treaty have spent tens of millions of dollars to sway politics and policymakers, according to an analysis released today by the Center for Biological Diversity. Corporations with representatives at the treaty’s third negotiating session, or INC-3, spent more than $85 million on lobbying and political contributions in the 2022 U.S. election cycle.
Read more.U.S. to Review Outdated Offshore Drilling Plans Linked to Huntington Beach Spill
LOS ANGELES— The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management agreed today to review outdated plans for offshore oil platforms near Huntington Beach in Southern California. Under the agreement, BOEM must complete the reviews of decades-old development plans for Platforms Edith, Ellen, Elly and Eureka before Dec. 15, 2024.
Read more.Alaska District Court Rules Willow Oil Project Can Proceed; Conservation Groups Plan to Appeal
ANCHORAGE, Alaska— Environmental groups intend to challenge today’s federal court ruling that the Willow oil-drilling project in Alaska’s Western Arctic can proceed. A federal court in Alaska has sided with project developer ConocoPhillips and the federal Bureau of Land Management in a lawsuit the groups brought in March.
Read more.House Republican Legislation Would Gut Protections for Critically Endangered Gulf of Mexico Rice’s Whales
WASHINGTON— House Republicans will consider a bill today introduced by Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) that could prohibit vital Endangered Species Act protections for critically endangered Gulf of Mexico Rice’s whales. There are about 50 of the whales left in the entire world.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched to Stop Bering Sea Trawl Nets From Killing Orcas
ANCHORAGE, Alaska— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a formal notice today of its intent to sue the National Marine Fisheries Service for failing to protect marine mammals from being killed by the Bering Sea Aleutian Islands groundfish trawl fisheries.
Read more.EPA Again Refuses to Protect U.S. Waters From Invasive Species, Diseases Released by Ships
WASHINGTON— The Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposed rule today that would allow ships to continue releasing harmful concentrations of invasive species and disease organisms into U.S. waters. The EPA is proposing to keep in place ballast water discharge standards that the courts have determined are unlawful and violate the Clean Water Act.
Read more.Instan al presidente Biden a que prohíba las importaciones de productos pesqueros de México para detener la muerte masiva de tortugas marinas
WASHINGTON— El Centro para la Diversidad Biológica solicitó hoy al presidente Biden que aplique sanciones comerciales contra México para detener la masiva captura incidental de tortugas caguama en el país, como lo exige la ley estadounidense. En agosto, el Servicio Nacional de Pesca Marina certificó a México por su captura incidental bajo la Ley de Protección de Moratoria de Estados Unidos. Esta certificación requiere que Biden imponga ahora una prohibición a las importaciones de productos pesqueros mexicanos.
Read more.President Biden Urged to Ban Mexican Fish Imports, Stop Mass Killing of Endangered Sea Turtles
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity called on President Biden today to impose trade sanctions against Mexico to stop the nation’s massive bycatch of loggerhead sea turtles, as required by U.S. law.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched to Protect Ringed, Bearded Seals in the Arctic
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a formal notice today of its intent to sue the National Marine Fisheries Service for failing to protect Arctic ice seals. The ringed seal and the bearded seal were both listed under the Endangered Species Act in 2012, but neither has received a recovery plan as the law requires.
Read more.Biden Offshore Drilling Plan Exposes U.S., Climate to More Harm
WASHINGTON— The Interior Department finalized a plan today to conduct offshore oil and gas lease sales over the next five years. The plan offers 3 auctions between 2024 and 2029 in the Gulf of Mexico.
Read more.Federal Government to Form Team to Protect Pacific Humpbacks From Deadly Entanglements
SAN FRANCISCO— The National Marine Fisheries Service published a notice today announcing its intent to establish a team to reduce Pacific humpback whale entanglements in fishing gear. The Service committed to form a team by Oct. 31, 2025, under a legal agreement with the Center for Biological Diversity.
Read more.Emergency Right Whale Petition Seeks Overdue Protections From Vessel Strikes
WASHINGTON— Conservation groups filed an emergency rulemaking petition with NOAA Fisheries today to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from being struck and killed by vessels along the U.S. East Coast. Today’s filing comes ahead of the upcoming calving season.
Read more.Court Upholds Denial of ExxonMobil’s Plan to Truck Oil in Santa Barbara, Restart Offshore Drilling
LOS ANGELES— The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California today upheld Santa Barbara County’s denial of ExxonMobil’s proposal to transport oil by tanker trucks along hazardous California highways. The plan would have helped the company restart three drilling platforms off the Santa Barbara coast, shut down since the disastrous Refugio oil spill eight years ago.
Read more.Alaska Habitat Protections Expanding for North Pacific Right Whale
ANCHORAGE, Alaska— NOAA Fisheries announced today that it intends to expand critical habitat protections in Alaska for the North Pacific right whale. If finalized, the action will help protect the most endangered whale population in the world.
Read more.Appeal Aims to Preserve Protections for Endangered Rice’s Whale Habitat in Upcoming Gulf Lease Sale
LAKE CHARLES, La.— Environmental groups today appealed a court order from the Western District of Louisiana granting a preliminary injunction request by the oil industry and the state of Louisiana to remove protections for the critically endangered Rice’s whale included in Lease Sale 261.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched to Protect Alaska’s Whales From Increased Ship Traffic
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a formal notice today of its intent to sue the U.S. Maritime Administration for failing to consider shipping traffic’s harm to highly endangered whales and other wildlife along the Alaska coast.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Long Beach Oil, Gas Drilling Plan
LOS ANGELES— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the city of Long Beach today for approving a five-year program to drill for oil and gas within city limits without conducting the required review intended to protect public health and the environment.
Read more.California Legislature Passes Bill Ending Exemption for Coastal Oil Development
SACRAMENTO, Calif.— The California legislature passed Senate Bill 704 today, and the legislation is awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s approval. Approved by at least 80% of both the California Assembly and Senate, the bill amends the Coastal Act to remove an “industrial override” provision favoring approval for oil and gas developments along the coast, regardless of whether they meet resource protection policies.
Read more.Hábitat de la vaquita marina se mantiene como “Patrimonio en Peligro”: UNESCO
RIAD, Arabia Saudita— El Comité del Patrimonio Mundial de la UNESCO decidió hoy mantener el estatus de “en peligro” el hábitat de la vaquita marina y el pez totoaba. Sólo quedan 10 vaquitas en el mundo en una pequeña zona del Golfo de California. El comité instó a México a adoptar medidas correctivas inmediatas para salvar a la marsopa en peligro crítico de extinción.
Read more.UNESCO World Heritage Committee: Vaquita Porpoise Habitat Still “In Danger”
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia— The UNESCO World Heritage Committee decided today to maintain the “in danger” status for the last remaining habitat of the vaquita porpoise and the totoaba fish. Only 10 vaquitas remain in the world, all in a small area of Mexico, and the committee urged Mexico to immediately adopt corrective measures to save the critically endangered porpoise.
Read more.EPA Agrees to Issue Standards for Protecting U.S. Waters From Ship Pollution, Invasive Species
WASHINGTON— The Environmental Protection Agency agreed today to finalize nationwide standards that will protect U.S. waterways from harmful vessel discharges. Under the agreement, the agency must release final regulations on ballast water discharges by Sept. 24, 2024.
Read more.Global Plastics Treaty Chair Releases ‘Zero Draft’ Ahead of Third Meeting
NAIROBI— The chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution released the “zero draft” of the global plastics treaty today. This preliminary document is a starting point for negotiations. The treaty’s third negotiating session, or INC-3, will begin in Nairobi, Kenya, on Nov. 13.
Read more.Pillar Coral Proposed for Increased Endangered Species Act Protection
WASHINGTON— The National Marine Fisheries Service proposed today to change the status of the pillar coral, a species found in Florida waters and elsewhere in the Caribbean, from threatened to endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The proposal is based on population declines and susceptibility to a recently emerged coral disease, according to the Service.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Massive Offshore Lease Sale for Failing to Consider Gulf Communities, Climate
WASHINGTON— Gulf community and environmental groups sued the Interior Department today to challenge an offshore oil and gas lease sale that would offer up more than 67 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico. The department plans to hold the sale Sept. 27.
Read more.Lawsuit Spurs Agreement to Better Protect Endangered Rice’s Whales From Offshore Drilling
BALTIMORE— Under an agreement approved today in U.S. District Court in Maryland, federal agencies will seek better ways to protect endangered Rice’s whales and other imperiled marine species from harmful oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
Read more.Threatened Caribbean Corals Receive Critical Habitat Protections
WASHINGTON— The National Marine Fisheries Service announced critical habitat designations today for five species of Caribbean corals. The agency’s final rule protects 6,500 square miles of marine habitat in Florida, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Navassa Island and the Flower Gardens Banks in the Gulf of Mexico.
Read more.Lawsuit Aims to Protect 20 Threatened Coral Species in Caribbean, Indo-Pacific
HONOLULU— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the National Marine Fisheries Service today for failing to protect 20 coral species in the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific. The corals all received Endangered Species Act listings in 2014 but not protections offered by the law, including prohibitions on collection and sale.
Read more.Critical Habitat Protection Proposed for Green Sea Turtles
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— In response to a legal agreement with environmental groups, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries today proposed to designate roughly 8,850 acres of beaches and nearly 428,000 square miles of coastal waters as protected critical habitat for six distinct populations of green sea turtles.
Read more.Legal Agreement Following Court Win Secures Plan to Protect Pacific Humpbacks From Deadly Entanglements
SAN FRANCISCO— The National Marine Fisheries Service agreed today to establish a team to reduce whale entanglements in a federal fishery off the West Coast in a legal agreement with the Center for Biological Diversity. The Service will establish the team by Oct. 31, 2025.
Read more.Biden Declines to Embargo Products From Mexico Despite Vaquita Violation
WASHINGTON— President Biden announced today that he will not embargo products from Mexico despite the country’s failure to halt illegal wildlife trade threatening the critically endangered vaquita porpoise.
Read more.Petition Calls on Federal Government to End Fast-Tracking of Offshore Oil Drilling Projects in Gulf of Mexico
WASHINGTON— Six environmental groups submitted a petition today to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management calling on the agency to end a routine practice of fast-tracking approval for offshore oil and gas projects. The Interior Department first adopted a “categorical exclusion” for oil and gas activities in 1981, allowing exploration and development plans to win approval for much of the Gulf of Mexico without undergoing the site-specific analysis normally required by the National Environmental Policy Act.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched Over Failure to Protect Salmon From Toxic Tire Chemical
OAKLAND, Calif.— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a formal notice today of its intent to sue the Oregon and California state transportation agencies for failing to consider fatal impacts to salmon from toxic tire pollution.
Read more.Biden Administration Drops Appeal of Court Decision on Threat to Endangered Whales From Shipping Lanes
OAKLAND, Calif.— The Biden administration has abandoned its appeal of a 2022 court ruling holding that the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Coast Guard failed to meet Endangered Species Act requirements when designating shipping lanes into the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and the San Francisco Bay.
Read more.Supreme Court Denies Oil Industry Challenge to California Offshore Fracking Moratorium
WASHINGTON— The U.S. Supreme Court today refused to hear a challenge to a court-ordered prohibition on offshore fracking in federal waters off the California coast.
Read more.Global Plastics Treaty Negotiations End in Paris With “Zero Draft” Still to Come
PARIS— The second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution, or INC-2, ended today with a “zero draft” of a treaty expected before INC-3 and no sign from the U.S. of firm commitments to curb plastic production.
Read more.Embattled Puerto Rico Dredging Project Faces Court Hearing
WASHINGTON— A federal district court will hear oral arguments Monday in a lawsuit that challenges a proposed U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredging project in San Juan Bay, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico residents and environmental groups will hold a rally outside the courthouse before the hearing.
Read more.Smalltail Shark Moves Closer to Endangered Species Act Protection
WASHINGTON— Responding to a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity, the National Marine Fisheries Service announced today that protecting the smalltail shark under the Endangered Species Act may be warranted. The smalltail shark population has declined by more than 80% globally over the past 27 years.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched to Protect Gulf of Mexico Wildlife From Offshore Drilling
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a formal notice today of its intent to sue the U.S. Interior Department for failing to adequately protect endangered whooping cranes, Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, manatees and other imperiled species from the dangers of offshore oil and gas extraction in the Gulf of Mexico.
Read more.Legal Agreement Spurs Analysis of California Gillnets’ Threat to Humpback Whales
SAN FRANCISCO— The National Marine Fisheries Service agreed today to complete a new assessment of the threat of drift gillnets in California to endangered humpback whales. In the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 fishing seasons an estimated 12 Pacific humpbacks were caught in the California drift gillnet fishery, according to federal reports.
Read more.Federal Court Allows California Offshore Drilling Lawsuit to Proceed
LOS ANGELES— A federal court today allowed a lawsuit challenging the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s failure to review outdated plans for offshore oil platforms near Huntington Beach to proceed. The judge rejected the Biden administration’s attempt to dismiss the case on the grounds the court did not have jurisdiction to hear it.
Read more.Federal Judge Allows Massive Willow Oil Project Construction to Proceed in Western Arctic
ANCHORAGE, Alaska— A federal judge today ruled in favor of oil giant ConocoPhillips by denying a motion for preliminary injunction brought by environmental groups as part of a lawsuit challenging the Willow project in Alaska’s Western Arctic. The ruling allows construction activities planned for the remaining three weeks of the construction season, including constructing roads and a gravel mine as a first step toward developing a massive oil-extraction operation.
Read more.Lawsuit Seeks Protected Habitat for Endangered Corals
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the National Marine Fisheries Service today for failing to finalize protections for 12 coral species around Florida and islands in the Pacific Ocean. Pillar coral, mountainous star coral and the others were all listed under the Endangered Species Act in 2014 but have not received the critical habitat designation the law requires.
Read more.Sunflower Sea Star Proposed for Endangered Species Act Protection
SAN FRANCISCO— Responding to a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity, the National Marine Fisheries Service proposed today to protect imperiled sunflower sea stars as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Read more.Court: U.S. Failure to Protect Pacific Humpbacks From Deadly Entanglements Was Unlawful
SAN FRANCISCO— A federal court ruled in favor of the Center for Biological Diversity yesterday in a lawsuit arguing that the National Marine Fisheries Service failed to protect endangered Pacific humpback whales from deadly entanglements in sablefish pot gear off California, Oregon and Washington.
Read more.Biden Administration Sued Over Willow Oil Project in Alaska’s Western Arctic
ANCHORAGE, Alaska— Earthjustice filed a lawsuit yesterday on behalf of conservation groups to stop the massive Willow oil drilling project in Alaska’s Western Arctic, which the Biden administration approved March 13. This approval of an enormous new carbon pollution source undermines President Biden’s promises to slash greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and transition the United States to clean energy.
Read more.Biden Administration Approves Major Alaskan Arctic Drilling Project
WASHINGTON— The Biden administration released the final Willow Master Development Plan today, greenlighting the oil development project in Alaska’s Western Arctic. The final version of the project would allow for drilling at three pads.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Biden Decision to Open 73.3 Million Acres of Gulf of Mexico for Oil Leasing
WASHINGTON— Gulf community and environmental groups filed a legal challenge in federal court today to the Department of the Interior’s lease sale 259. The sale would offer 73.3 million acres of the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas leasing.
Read more.Vessel Strike Killed Critically Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.— A North Atlantic right whale that washed up dead onto the shore Sunday was likely killed by a vessel collision, NOAA Fisheries announced today. The results of a necropsy determined the cause of death to be “blunt force trauma,” which indicates the animal was struck by a passing vessel.
Read more.Legal Intervention Supports EPA Permit Requirements for St. Croix Refinery
ST. CROIX, U.S. Virgin Islands— Community and conservation groups filed a motion to intervene yesterday in a case concerning Environmental Protection Agency air permits for a shuttered oil refinery. The Environmental Justice Clinic at Vermont Law and Graduate School filed the motion in the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of their clients, St. Croix Environmental Association, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club.
Read more.Lawsuit Seeks to Protect U.S. Waters From Ship Pollution, Invasive Species
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the Earth sued the Environmental Protection Agency today for failing to finalize nationwide standards that would protect U.S. waterways from harmful vessel discharges.
Read more.Dragado a La Bahía De San Juan Provocará Un Gran Daño Social Y Ambiental
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico– Las organizaciones ambientales y comunitarias El Puente-Enlace Latino de Acción Climática, CORALations y el Centro para la Diversidad Biológica denunciaron este martes que el acuerdo reciente entre el Cuerpo de Ingenieros del Ejército de los EE.UU. y la Autoridad de los Puertos de Puerto Rico para comenzar el dragado de la Bahía de San Juan, provocará grandes daños ambientales y sociales.
Read more.Corps Schedules Massive Dredging Project Despite Public Health, Environmental Objections
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico— The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Puerto Rico Ports Authority announced an agreement today to proceed with dredging in San Juan Bay, Puerto Rico. The project will deepen and widen shipping channels to allow massive liquefied natural gas and long-range oil tankers to import foreign fossil fuels. A lawsuit pending in federal district court challenges the Army Corps’ dredging project.
Read more.Oil Industry Seeks Supreme Court Review of California Offshore Fracking Ban
WASHINGTON— The American Petroleum Institute and two oil companies filed a petition for certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court today, seeking a review of a lower court decision that halted offshore fracking in federal waters off California. A previous request by the Biden administration to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals for an “en banc” review of the ruling was denied.
Read more.Legal Intervention Defends Protections for Arctic Ringed Seals
ANCHORAGE, Alaska— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a motion today to intervene in a lawsuit regarding protections for the Arctic ringed seal. The intervention seeks to defend the federal government’s rejection of the state of Alaska’s efforts to end Endangered Species Act protections for the seal.
Read more.Biden Administration Sinks Emergency Petition to Shield Right Whale Moms, Calves From Vessel Strikes
WASHINGTON— The National Marine Fisheries Service today denied an emergency petition that sought to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from being struck and killed by vessels in their calving grounds off the coast of the southeast United States. The species is down to about 70 reproductive females.
Read more.Petition Seeks Sea Otter Reintroduction Along Broader West Coast
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity submitted a petition today asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reintroduce sea otters to a large stretch of the West Coast. Threatened southern sea otters occupy only 13% of their historic range, and a small population of the animals currently lives on California’s central coast.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Biden Administration Oil Leasing in Alaska’s Cook Inlet
ANCHORAGE, Alaska— National and community-based environmental groups filed a legal challenge today to stop the Department of the Interior’s lease sale in Cook Inlet, Alaska. Lease sale 258, scheduled for Dec. 30, would auction off nearly a million acres of federal waters in southcentral Alaska, opening the door to decades of future oil and gas drilling.
Read more.Right Whale Condemned to Extinction in Senate Omnibus
WASHINGTON— With no process or accountability, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Appropriations Chair Patrick Leahy inserted an unprecedented right whale policy rider into the omnibus funding budget released today. Schumer’s measure gives the U.S. lobster fishery six years to delay necessary actions to prevent fishing gear from entangling and killing critically endangered North Atlantic right whales.
Read more.Court Orders U.S. to Examine California Shipping Lanes’ Role in Endangered Whale Deaths
OAKLAND, Calif.— A federal court ruled in favor of the Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the Earth Wednesday in their lawsuit challenging the failure of the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Coast Guard to protect endangered whales from being struck by ships using California ports.
Read more.Scientists Demand Endangered Species Act Protection for Pacific Walrus
WASHINGTON— Twelve scientists urged the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today to promptly protect the Pacific walrus under the Endangered Species Act. The Center for Biological Diversity first submitted a petition to list the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) as threatened or endangered in 2008, more than a decade ago.
Read more.EPA Requires St. Croix Refinery to Obtain New Air Permit Before Restarting
ST. CROIX, U.S. Virgin Islands— The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced that the oil refinery on St. Croix cannot restart without a new comprehensive Clean Air Act permit, called the Prevention of Significant Deterioration permit.
Read more.Shortfin Mako Shark Denied Federal Protections
WASHINGTON— The highly imperiled shortfin mako shark was denied federal protection today by NOAA Fisheries, which stated that a listing under the federal Endangered Species Act is “not warranted.” In June 2022 Defenders of Wildlife and the Center for Biological Diversity threatened to sue the agency for failing to meet its statutory deadline to make this decision.
Read more.Court Allows Environmentalists’ Request to Intervene in Exxon Trucking Case
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— A federal judge ruled today that conservation and Indigenous groups can help legally defend Santa Barbara County’s denial of ExxonMobil’s proposal to truck vast quantities of oil along dangerous California roads.
Read more.Emergency Petition Seeks to Shield Right Whale Moms, Calves From Ship Strikes
WASHINGTON— Conservation groups filed an emergency rulemaking petition with the National Marine Fisheries Service today to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from being struck and killed by vessels in their calving grounds off the coast of the southeast United States.
Read more.Petition Seeks to Protect Smalltail Shark Under Endangered Species Act
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity submitted a petition today urging the National Marine Fisheries Service to protect the smalltail shark under the Endangered Species Act. The smalltail shark population has declined by more than 80% globally over the past 27 years.
Read more.California Crab Season Delayed to Protect Whales From Entanglements
SACRAMENTO, Calif.— The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced today the state will delay the opening of the commercial Dungeness crab season to protect endangered humpback whales and other marine life from deadly entanglements. The department’s Risk Assessment and Mitigation Program determined that too many whales are present for crabbing to occur safely.
Read more.Lawsuit Aims to Protect Humpback Whales From California Gillnet Entanglements
SAN FRANCISCO— The Center for Biological Diversity sued NOAA Fisheries today to force it to protect endangered Pacific humpback whales from entanglements in California drift gillnets. In the past two fishing seasons an estimated 12 Pacific humpbacks were caught in the California drift gillnet fishery, according to federal reports.
Read more.Aquatic Critical Habitat Proposed for Threatened Nassau Grouper
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— The National Marine Fisheries Service has proposed to protect more than 900 square miles in the western North Atlantic Ocean for the threatened Nassau grouper. The fish’s nearshore ocean habitat faces threats from pollution and climate change harms like ocean warming and acidification.
Read more.La Junta de Puerto Rico rechaza la petición de la EPA de verter residuos de dragado en el océano
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico— La Junta de Planificación de Puerto Rico se ha opuesto formalmente al plan del gobierno federal de verter millones de metros cúbicos de residuos de dragado en cinco lugares en el mar alrededor de Puerto Rico.
Read more.Puerto Rico Board Denies EPA Request to Dump Dredge Waste in Ocean
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico— The Puerto Rico Planning Board has formally objected to the federal government’s plan to dispose of millions of cubic yards of dredge waste in five ocean sites around Puerto Rico without further environmental studies.
Read more.Biden Administration Greenlights Work on California Pipeline Linked to 2021 Huntington Beach Oil Spill
LONG BEACH, Calif.— The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a key permit on Friday for underwater repairs that will allow the restart of the 42-year-old pipeline that ruptured off Orange County in October 2021. The rupture spilled tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Outdated Offshore Oil Plans in California
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management today for failing to review decades-old plans for offshore oil platforms near Huntington Beach. The lawsuit comes a year after a major oil spill linked to Platform Elly in the region caused significant damage to wildlife and beaches.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched to Protect Threatened Coral Species
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity today filed a notice of intent to sue the federal government for failing to protect 20 coral species in the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific. The corals all received Endangered Species Act listings in 2014 but not the protective regulations the law requires, including prohibitions on collection and sale.
Read more.Victory: Court Nixes Air Permits for Formosa’s Huge Petrochemical Complex in Cancer Alley
ST. JAMES, La.— Louisiana’s 19th Judicial District Court has reversed the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality’s decision to issue air permits that Formosa Plastics needed to build its proposed petrochemical complex in St. James Parish.
Read more.With Offshore Drilling Set to Surge, EPA Urged to Halt Fracking Waste Discharges Into Gulf of Mexico
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity urged the Environmental Protection Agency today to prohibit discharges of fracking chemicals into the Gulf of Mexico.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched to Protect U.S. Waters From Ship Pollution, Invasive Species
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the Earth filed a notice of intent today to sue the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to finalize nationwide standards to protect U.S. waterways from harmful vessel discharges. These discharges carry invasive species, pathogens and other pollutants that pose serious threats to the nation’s waters, ecosystems, economy and public health.
Read more.Court Upholds Federal Action to Protect Right Whales From Deadly Entanglements in Lobster Gear
WASHINGTON— A federal court has rejected a lobster industry attack on the science supporting recent federal efforts to protect critically endangered right whales from deadly entanglements in lobster gear. The industry sued the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Center for Biological Diversity, Conservation Law Foundation and Defenders of Wildlife intervened to defend the science.
Read more.Endangered Species Act Protection Sought for West Coast’s Bull Kelp
OAKLAND, Calif.— The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned NOAA Fisheries today to grant Endangered Species Act protection to bull kelp, which faces grave threats from climate change and coastal development. The range of these underwater forests extends along the western coast of the United States.
Read more.Biden Administration Backs Offshore Fracking in California
LOS ANGELES— The Biden administration filed a request today asking the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a lower court decision that halted offshore fracking in federal waters off California. Today’s filing asks for an “en banc” review of the key ruling.
Read more.Court Sends Two Unlawful Oil Lease Sales in Gulf of Mexico Back for Reconsideration
WASHINGTON— The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today that the Trump administration unlawfully auctioned off millions of acres to oil companies in two 2018 Gulf of Mexico lease sales.
Read more.Legal Agreement Requires U.S. to Re-Examine Harms to Whales From Pacific Offshore Oil Drilling
LOS ANGELES— The Center for Biological Diversity, Department of the Interior and National Marine Fisheries Service reached an agreement today that requires the agencies to re-examine the risks and harms to whales and other endangered species from continued oil and gas drilling in federal waters off California.
Read more.Una demanda impugna proyecto de ampliación para el envío de gas natural licuado a Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico— Grupos ambientales y comunitarios presentaron hoy una demanda en el tribunal federal de distrito contra el Cuerpo de Ingenieros del Ejército de los Estados Unidos por sus planes de ampliar el canal de navegación de la Bahía de San Juan para buques de gran tamaño. Esta ampliación del puerto implica el dragado y la disposición de más de dos millones de yardas cúbicas de sedimentos para profundizar y ampliar los canales de navegación, lo que causaría graves daños ambientales.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Project Expanding Liquified Natural Gas Shipping to Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico— Conservation and climate groups filed a lawsuit in federal district court today against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over its plans to expand the San Juan Bay shipping channel for massive vessels. This port expansion involves the dredging and disposal of more than two million cubic yards of sediment to deepen and widen shipping channels.
Read more.Federal Proposal Aims to Protect Endangered Right Whales From Ship Strikes
WASHINGTON— The National Marine Fisheries Service proposed a rule today to better protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from being run over and killed by vessels in U.S. waters.
Read more.Federal Appeals Court Reinstates Right Whales’ Seasonal Protection
BOSTON— In a victory for critically endangered North Atlantic right whales, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals today reinstated a seasonal prohibition on lobster fishing using vertical lines in federal waters off the Maine coast.
Read more.World’s Most Endangered Whales Move Closer to Expanded Habitat Protections off Alaskan Coast
ANCHORAGE, Alaska— NOAA Fisheries announced today that expanding critical habitat protections in Alaska for North Pacific right whales — the most endangered whale population in the world — may be warranted.
Read more.Court Victory: Federal Failure to Protect Right Whales from Deadly Entanglements Violates Law
WASHINGTON— A federal court ruled in favor of the Center for Biological Diversity, Conservation Law Foundation, and Defenders of Wildlife in a long-running case challenging NOAA Fisheries’ failure to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from deadly entanglements in American lobster fishing gear.
Read more.Biden Administration Moves to Curb Single-Use Plastic in Federal Purchasing
WASHINGTON— In response to a legal petition from the Center for Biological Diversity and 180 other community and conservation groups, the U.S. government announced today that it will evaluate ways to reduce its purchases of unnecessary single-use plastic.
Read more.Gulf of Mexico, Alaska Targeted for Offshore Oil, Gas Leasing in Biden Plan
WASHINGTON— President Biden’s Interior Department proposed today to conduct up to 11 lease sales of offshore waters to oil and gas companies for drilling and fracking. The draft proposal could offer 10 lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and potentially one in Cook Inlet, Alaska. All sales would take place between 2023 and 2028.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched Over Federal Failure to Protect Shortfin Mako Shark
WASHINGTON— Defenders of Wildlife and the Center for Biological Diversity sent a notice today of their intent to sue the National Marine Fisheries Service for failing to protect the shortfin mako shark under the Endangered Species Act.
Read more.Demandan por la falta de protección federal del tiburón mako de aleta corta como especie amenazada o en peligro de extinción
WASHINGTON— Defenders of Wildlife y el Centro para la Diversidad Biológica enviaron hoy una notificación sobre su intención de demandar a NOAA Fisheries por no haber resuelto en torno a la protección del tiburón mako de aleta corta bajo la Ley de Especies en Peligro (ESA, por sus siglas en inglés). La ley exige que NOAA Fisheries determine si se justifica la inclusión del tiburón mako de aleta corta en la ESA a más tardar 12 meses después de recibir una petición de inclusión en la que haya llegado a un “dictamen positivo de los 90 días”.
Read more.Petition Aims to Protect Great Hammerhead Sharks Under Endangered Species Act
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity submitted a petition today urging the National Marine Fisheries Service to protect the great hammerhead shark under the Endangered Species Act.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched to Protect Habitat for 12 Endangered Coral Species
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity today filed a notice of intent to sue the National Marine Fisheries Service for failing to finalize protections for 12 coral species around Florida and islands in the Pacific Ocean. The corals all received Endangered Species Act listings in 2014 but not the critical habitat designation the law requires.
Read more.Lawmakers, Organizations Warn Biden Against Rushed Pipeline Restart Off California Coast
LONG BEACH, Calif.— A coalition of groups today joined eight Southern California members of Congress in urging the Biden administration not to issue fast-track authorization for the repair and restart of Amplify Energy’s offshore oil pipeline, which ruptured off the California coast in October.
Read more.El Cuerpo de Ingenieros Enfrentará Demanda por Proyecto de Transporte de GNL en Puerto Rico por Impactos a la Vida Silvestre y a las Comunidades
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico— El Cuerpo de Ingenieros del Ejército recibió hoy una notificación advirtiendo que su proyecto de dragado para ampliar el canal de navegación de la Bahía de San Juan viola la Ley de Especies en Peligro de Extinción. El proyecto permitiría el paso de mega buques que transporten gas natural licuado (GNL).
Read more.Army Corps to Face Lawsuit for Puerto Rico LNG Shipping Project’s Threats to Wildlife, Communities
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico— The Army Corps of Engineers received a notice letter today warning that its dredging project to expand the San Juan Bay shipping channel violates the Endangered Species Act. The project would permit the passage of mega vessels carrying liquified natural gas, or LNG.
Read more.California Drift Gillnets Entangled About 12 Humpback Whales in 2021
SAN FRANCISCO— After new federal reports estimated that the California drift gillnet fishery caught about 12 Pacific humpbacks in 2021, the Center for Biological Diversity warned the National Marine Fisheries Service today to expect to be sued for failing to protect these endangered whales from entanglements in drift nets.
Read more.New Right Whale Endangered Species Condom Distributed for World Ocean Day, Marine Mammal Protection Act Anniversary
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity will head to Capitol Hill on Wednesday, June 8 to distribute Endangered Species Condoms in honor of World Ocean Day and mark the 50th anniversary of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Read more.9th Circuit Affirms Moratorium on Offshore Fracking Off California, Orders More Review
LOS ANGELES— A federal appeals court today affirmed a lower court decision that prohibits offshore fracking in federal waters off the California coast.
Read more.Legal Agreement Requires Federal Government to Update Marine Mammal Assessments
WASHINGTON— In response to a lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity and Turtle Island Restoration Network, the Biden administration today agreed to release long-overdue population reports for manatees in Florida and Puerto Rico and sea otters and walruses in Alaska, as required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Read more.Legal Agreement Forces EPA to Assess Toxicity of Plastics
WASHINGTON— The Environmental Protection Agency will analyze the toxic effects of polyvinyl chloride, commonly referred to as “PVC” or “vinyl”, as the result of a legal agreement reached today with the Center for Biological Diversity.
Read more.Tope Sharks Take Step Toward Endangered Species Protection
PORTLAND, Ore.— Following a petition, the National Marine Fisheries Service has announced that the tope shark — also known as the “soupfin shark” — may warrant protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Read more.California Oil Company Warned for Cutting Corners in Repairing Leaky Pipeline
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.— The Center for Biological Diversity warned DCOR, LLC in a letter today that the company failed to comply with a California law requiring a Coastal Development Permit for its repair of an offshore oil pipeline that leaked in December.
Read more.Alaska’s Ice Seals Gain Critical Habitat Protection
WASHINGTON— Following a legal victory by the Center for Biological Diversity, the National Marine Fisheries Service announced two final rules today to protect critical habitat for bearded seals and ringed seals, two types of Arctic ice seals in Alaska.
Read more.U.S. Company Seeks to Extend License for Deep-Sea Mining in Pacific
WASHINGTON— Federal officials today published an application by Lockheed Martin to extend two licenses to mine the deep ocean. These licenses propose exploratory deep-sea mining work in the Pacific Ocean’s Clarion-Clipperton Zone, halfway between Mexico and Hawaii.
Read more.Expanded Alaska Habitat Protections Sought for World’s Most Endangered Whale
ANCHORAGE, Alaska— Conservationists filed a formal petition today urging the federal government to expand the critical habitat designation in Alaska for North Pacific right whales — the most endangered whale population in the world.
Read more.Santa Barbara County Rejects ExxonMobil Oil-Trucking Plan
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted today to reject ExxonMobil’s proposal to transport oil by tanker trucks along hazardous California highways. The plan would have helped the company restart three 1980s-era drilling platforms off the Santa Barbara coast that have been shut down since the Refugio oil spill disaster seven years ago.
Read more.Seabird Protection From Federal Fisheries On Horizon
WASHINGTON— In response to a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said this week that it intends to regulate commercial fisheries’ incidental killing of seabirds. In an email sent Monday to the Center, the Service said it will publish a proposed bird-bycatch rule this summer.
Read more.California Officials Urged to Decommission Leaky Offshore Oil Pipeline
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.— Eight conservation groups asked California officials today to reject plans to repair and restart a broken pipeline that caused a December oil spill in coastal waters off Orange County.
Read more.Petition Aims to Protect Tope Shark Under Endangered Species Act
PORTLAND, Ore.— Conservation organizations submitted a petition to the National Marine Fisheries Service today requesting protection of the tope shark under the Endangered Species Act.
Read more.California Senate Bill Would Eliminate Dirty, Dangerous Offshore Drilling
SACRAMENTO, Calif.— Legislation introduced today in the California Senate would phase out offshore drilling for oil and gas in the state’s coastal waters. The bill follows October’s big oil spill off Orange County and other recent oil industry spills and legal violations.
Read more.Army Corps Urged to Block Louisiana Methanol Facility Over Potential Groundwater Harms
NEW ORLEANS— Groups opposing a South Louisiana Methanol project sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers today calling attention to the agency’s failure to obtain critical information about the facility’s possible threats to the freshwater Gramercy Aquifer. The $2.2 billion complex, planned for a 1,500-acre site in St. James Parish, would be one of the world’s largest methanol plants.
Read more.Legal Petition Demands Biden Administration Stop Unlawful Gulf of Mexico Oil Drilling
WASHINGTON— More than 300 environmental, public health, Indigenous, faith-based and community groups sent a legal petition today demanding that the Biden administration immediately stop authorizing new exploration plans, development plans and drilling permits in the Gulf of Mexico until it properly examines the climate damage from more offshore drilling.
Read more.Legal Petition Urges Biden Administration to Stop Buying Single-Use Plastic
WASHINGTON— More than 180 community and conservation organizations filed a legal petition today demanding that the U.S. government stop buying plastic bags and other single-use plastic products. Supporting organizations include the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club, Oceana, Surfrider and Greenpeace.
Read more.Court: Massive Offshore Oil Lease Sale in Gulf Based on Faulty Legal Analysis
WASHINGTON— The D.C. District Court today invalidated the Department of the Interior's decision to offer 80 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas leasing, marking a pivotal victory in the fight to defend Gulf communities and the planet from the worsening climate crisis.
Read more.Lawsuit Aims to Protect Whales, Other Endangered Animals From Pacific Offshore Oil Drilling
LOS ANGELES— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the Biden administration today for failing to protect endangered whales, sea turtles and other species from continued oil and gas drilling off California’s coast.
Read more.Legal Petition Seeks to Halt Federally Authorized Harm to Last of Alaska’s Cook Inlet Beluga Whales
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity, Environmental Investigation Agency, Alaska Wildlife Alliance, and Cook Inletkeeper submitted a legal petition today demanding that the Secretary of Commerce and the National Marine Fisheries Service stop issuing “take” authorizations to oil companies and others to harm and harass Cook Inlet beluga whales in Alaska.
Read more.Lawsuit Aims to Protect Pacific Humpbacks From Deadly Fishing Gear
SAN FRANCISCO— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the National Marine Fisheries Service today for failing to protect endangered Pacific humpback whales from deadly entanglements in sablefish pot gear off the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington.
Read more.Following California Oil Spill, Amplify Energy Is Warned That Pipeline Activities Are Unlawful Without Permit
LONG BEACH, Calif.— The Center for Biological Diversity sent a letter today to Amplify Energy — operator of the offshore oil pipeline that ruptured off the California coast in October — warning that its proposed activities to restart the pipeline are unlawful without a permit to disturb marine mammals. Amplify Energy has proposed to cut out portions of the broken pipeline, weld in new parts, sand blast the seafloor, and drop concrete mats in San Pedro Bay.
Read more.Sunflower Sea Star One Step Closer to Endangered Species Act Protection
SAN FRANCISCO— Following a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity, the National Marine Fisheries Service announced today that imperiled sunflower sea stars may warrant protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched to Protect Polar Bears From Arctic Oil Exploration
ANCHORAGE, Alaska— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a formal notice of intent today to sue the U.S. Department of the Interior and Bureau of Land Management for failing to protect imperiled polar bears from an oil exploration project in the Western Arctic.
Read more.Biden Administration Rushes Forward on Likely Illegal Plan to Repair Pipeline Behind California Oil Spill
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.— The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is fast-tracking a likely illegal permit to repair a pipeline that recently spilled tens of thousands of gallons of oil off the Southern California coast, according to leaked documents obtained by the Center for Biological Diversity.
Read more.Legal Petition Seeks Federal Ropeless Rule to Save Whales, Turtles From Fishing Gear
WASHINGTON— Entanglement in fishing gear has become a leading threat to endangered whales and sea turtles on all U.S. coastlines. So the Center for Biological Diversity formally petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service today to require crab, lobster and other trap fisheries to convert to new ropeless or “pop-up” gear within the next five years. The petition requests that the agency prioritize the transition in national marine sanctuaries.
Read more.Court Reinstates Gulf of Maine Lobstering Restriction to Protect Endangered Right Whales
BOSTON— The First Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday granted an emergency motion to reinstate a seasonal prohibition on lobster fishing with buoy lines in an area roughly 30 nautical miles off the coast of Maine. The National Marine Fisheries Service implemented the measure to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from deadly entanglements in lobster gear.
Read more.Legal Agreement on Seattle Harbor Project Will Help West Coast Orcas
SEATTLE— The Port of Seattle and Center for Biological Diversity have reached a legal agreement associated with the Seattle Harbor Navigation Improvement Project that will benefit orcas.
Read more.Biden Administration to Lease Out 80 Million Acres in Gulf of Mexico for Oil, Days After Climate Summit
WASHINGTON— The Interior Department is scheduled to auction off more than 80 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday for oil and gas leasing, the largest U.S. lease sale ever. The sale comes just days after President Biden pledged at COP26 to reduce climate emissions.
Read more.Court Rejects Federal Attempt to Sink Right Whale Ship Strike Lawsuit
WASHINGTON— A federal court on Wednesday rejected the Biden administration's effort to dismiss a lawsuit aimed at protecting critically endangered right whales from being run over and killed by ships and boats in U.S. waters. The case challenges the National Marine Fisheries Service’s unlawful delay in responding to rulemaking petitions on vessel strikes.
Read more.Santa Barbara Commission Vote Puts Exxon Oil Trucking Plan on Thin Ice
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission voted today to recommend denial of ExxonMobil’s proposal to transport oil by tanker trucks along hazardous California highways. The plan would help the company restart three drilling platforms off the Santa Barbara coast.
Read more.Outdated Offshore Drilling Plans Spur Lawsuit Notice After California Oil Spill
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a notice today of its intent to sue the federal government for allowing Platform Elly and other offshore oil production in the Beta oilfield to operate under outdated drilling plans written in the 1970s and ‘80s. The notice comes after a major Southern California oil spill linked to Platform Elly.
Read more.California Delays Some Dungeness Crab Fishing to Protect Whales
SACRAMENTO, Calif.— Following an entanglement of a humpback whale in California crabbing gear and information showing many humpback whales are currently feeding off California, the state’s fish and wildlife director ordered a delay today in opening some coastal areas to Dungeness crab fishing.
Read more.Gov. Inslee Urged to Take Emergency Action After Key Puget Sound Orca Dies
OLYMPIA, Wash.— The Center for Biological Diversity and Orca Relief Citizens’ Alliance urged Gov. Jay Inslee today to take immediate action to protect Puget Sound’s endangered Southern Resident killer whales after recent reports that a member of the L pod, a matriarch known as Marina, is missing and likely dead.
Read more.Biden Administration Won’t Appeal Decision Shutting Down Western Arctic Oil Drilling Project
ANCHORAGE, Alaska— The Biden administration cemented a climate victory today by not appealing a federal district court decision halting ConocoPhillips’ Willow Master Development Plan. Willow would be the largest oil-and-gas drilling project in the Alaskan Arctic and would be located in a vast and biodiverse landscape in the Western Arctic.
Read more.After Spill, Legal Petition Urges Biden Administration to End Oil Drilling Off California
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.— In the wake of Orange County’s disastrous offshore oil spill, more than 35 organizations sent an emergency legal petition today demanding that the Department of the Interior take emergency action to immediately suspend and ultimately cancel all oil and gas leases in federal waters off California.
Read more.California Protects Leatherback Sea Turtles as Endangered
SACRAMENTO, Calif.— The California Fish and Game Commission voted today to protect leatherback sea turtles as endangered under the state’s Endangered Species Act. The commission acted on the recommendation of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which is concerned by the turtles’ dramatic decline in state waters.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched After California Oil Spill to Protect Whales, Other Endangered Animals From Offshore Drilling
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a notice of intent today to sue the Biden administration if it does not immediately reexamine the offshore oil industry’s threat to California’s endangered species and their habitats.
Read more.Analysis: Even Before Orange County Leak, California Pipeline Incidents Caused $1.2 Billion In Damages
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.— As Orange County beaches suffer a massive oil spill reportedly caused by an undersea pipeline linked to offshore drilling rigs, a new analysis reveals a troubling history of pipeline accidents in California.
Read more.Oil Spill in Southern California Highlights Offshore Drilling’s Huge Risks
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.— The environmental disaster that spilled at least 126,000 gallons of crude oil into the ocean off Orange County this weekend is highlighting the massive risks of offshore drilling. The oil spill, first detected on Saturday around Huntington Beach, is disastrous for wildlife and will harm many species for months and years to come.
Read more.Santa Barbara County Planning Commission Rejects ExxonMobil’s Plan to Restart Offshore Platforms, Truck Oil
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission has voted to deny ExxonMobil’s proposal to transport oil by tanker trucks along hazardous California highway so it can restart three drilling platforms off the Santa Barbara coast. The 3-2 initial vote came unexpectedly on Sept. 29, during the first of two days of scheduled public hearings on the project, and is expected to be followed Nov. 3 with a formal vote and findings recommending the Board of Supervisors deny the project.
Read more.Santa Barbara County to Hold Public Hearings on ExxonMobil’s Plan to Restart Offshore Platforms, Truck Oil
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission will hold online public hearings Sept. 29 and Oct. 1 on ExxonMobil’s proposal to transport oil by tanker trucks along hazardous California highways so it can restart three drilling platforms off the Santa Barbara coast.
Read more.Lawsuit Calls Out Biden Administration for Allowing Oil Operators to Harm Southern Beaufort Sea Polar Bears
ANCHORAGE, Alaska— Conservation groups sued the Biden administration today for issuing a regulation that allows oil and gas companies to harass Southern Beaufort Sea polar bears despite the likelihood of causing injury and death.
Read more.Formosa Plastics Fined $2.9 Million for Endangering Public, Workers in Texas
WASHINGTON— Formosa Plastics Group has agreed to pay $2.85 million in federal fines for injuring its workers and endangering public health during a series of explosions, fires and toxic chemical releases from its Point Comfort, Texas, petrochemical plant.
Read more.Santa Barbara County Staff Recommends Approval of ExxonMobil’s Plan to Restart Offshore Platforms, Truck Oil
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— Santa Barbara County’s Planning and Development Department has issued a staff report recommending that policymakers approve ExxonMobil’s proposal to transport oil by tanker trucks so it can restart three drilling platforms off the California coast. Opponents of the project vow to stop it, starting at Santa Barbara County Planning Commission hearings on the plan set for Sept. 29 and Oct. 1.
Read more.Biden Administration to Reexamine Trump’s Plan For More Western Arctic Oil Leasing
ANCHORAGE— In response to a lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity and allies, the Biden administration has announced it will reexamine a Trump administration plan to drastically expand western Arctic oil and gas leasing.
Read more.Federal Lawsuit Launched to Protect Pacific Humpbacks From Fishing Gear
SAN FRANCISCO— The Center for Biological Diversity sent a notice of intent today to sue the National Marine Fisheries Service for failing to protect endangered Pacific humpback whales from entanglements in sablefish fishing gear. The West Coast fisheries for the bottom-dwelling sablefish — also known as butterfish or black cod —operate without authorization to take whales under the Endangered Species Act.
Read more.Lawsuit Filed After Biden Opens 80 Million Acres of Gulf of Mexico for Oil
WASHINGTON— Immediately following the Biden administration’s decision to offer more than 80 million acres of the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas leasing, environmental and Gulf groups today filed a challenge to the lease sale in court.
Read more.Feds Issue Final Rule to Reduce North Atlantic Right Whale Entanglements in Fishing Gear
WASHINGTON— The National Marine Fisheries Service released its final rule today modifying regulations to reduce the number of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales killed in lobster gear off the coast of New England.
Read more.Court Blocks Massive Arctic Oil Development Project Defended by Biden Administration
ANCHORAGE, Alaska— A federal court in Alaska Wednesday vacated the approval of a large oil and gas project known as the Willow Master Development Plan in Alaska’s Western Arctic. The project was approved by the Trump administration but was being defended in court by the Biden administration, despite its climate action pledges and temporary suspension of fossil fuel leasing on public lands.
Read more.Army Corps Orders Full Environmental Review of Formosa Plastics’ Controversial Louisiana Plant
WASHINGTON— The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today it will require a full “environmental impact statement” for the massive petrochemical complex Formosa Plastics proposes to build in St. James Parish, Louisiana. The decision is a major victory for opponents of the plant, who sued to block the project in January 2020 and convinced the Army Corps to suspend its permit last fall.
Read more.Petition Seeks Protection for Sunflower Sea Star After 90% Population Decline
SAN FRANCISCO— The Center for Biological Diversity submitted a federal petition today calling for the sunflower sea star to be protected under the Endangered Species Act. Sunflowers, one of the world’s largest sea stars, have declined rapidly because of sea star wasting disease. They’ve lost more than 90% of their Pacific Ocean population since 2013.
Read more.Santa Barbara County Releases ExxonMobil’s Revised Plan to Restart Offshore Platforms, Truck Oil in California
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— Santa Barbara County has released a revised final environmental impact report for ExxonMobil’s proposal to transport oil by tanker trucks so it can restart three drilling platforms off California, setting up hearings and a vote on the project this fall. Santa Barbara County Planning Commission hearings on the plan were set for Sept. 29 and Oct. 1.
Read more.California Agency Recommends Listing Leatherback Sea Turtles as Endangered
SACRAMENTO, Calif.— The California Department of Fish and Wildlife released its recommendation today to protect leatherback sea turtles as endangered under the state’s Endangered Species Act. The status review precedes an October 2021 vote, by the California Fish and Game Commission, on whether to list the turtles.
Read more.Court Orders EPA to Address Use of Oil Dispersants on Offshore Spills
BERKELEY, Calif.— A federal district court judge ruled today in favor of a coalition of individuals and environmental groups and ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to update its decades-old regulations on the use of toxic chemical dispersants in oil spill responses.
Read more.Biden Administration Lets Oil Companies Disturb Polar Bears, Walruses in Alaska’s Western Arctic, Beaufort Sea
ANCHORAGE, Alaska— The Biden administration issued a final rule today allowing oil and gas companies operating in the Beaufort Sea and Western Arctic to harass polar bears and Pacific walruses when drilling or searching for oil for the next five years.
Read more.Biden Administration Announces Decommissioning of Oil Rigs Off California
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— The Biden administration today announced its intent to prepare a programmatic environmental analysis of the impacts of decommissioning oil and gas drilling platforms, pipelines and wells off southern California.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Seismic Oil, Gas Testing in Gulf of Mexico
GREENBELT, Md.— NRDC and partner groups Healthy Gulf, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Surfrider Foundation sued the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) today over a Trump administration decision to allow extensive seismic airgun testing in the Gulf of Mexico, with minimal protections for marine animals.
Read more.Navy to Reexamine Effects of Pacific Training Exercises on Endangered Whales
SAN DIEGO— The U.S. Navy announced this week that it will reevaluate the impacts of its testing and training exercises on endangered whales off Southern California and Hawaiʻi. The move comes in response to a notice of intent to sue from the Center for Biological Diversity, filed after two dead fin whales were found on the hull of a military destroyer in San Diego in May.
Read more.Lawsuit Targets Hawai‘i Land Board’s Failure to Protect Reefs, Fish From Aquarium Pet Trade
HONOLULU— Conservation groups, Native Hawaiian fishers and cultural practitioners sued the Hawai‘i Board of Land and Natural Resources today to protect West Hawai‘i’s reefs and coastal areas from commercial extraction of fish and other wildlife for the aquarium pet trade.
Read more.Offshore Fracking Report Finds Toxic Pollution in Gulf of Mexico
NEW ORLEANS— A report released today by the Center for Biological Diversity details how pervasive and damaging offshore fracking and other extreme oil and gas extraction methods have become in the Gulf of Mexico since 2010.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Federal Industrial Stormwater Permit’s Failure to Control U.S. Plastic Pollution, Protect Endangered Species
SAN FRANCISCO— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the Environmental Protection Agency and federal wildlife agencies today over their approval of a Clean Water Act general permit covering stormwater discharges for thousands of industrial facilities across the country.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched Over Federal Protections for Black Teatfish Sea Cucumbers
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity sent a notice of intent to sue the federal government today for failing to act on a petition to protect black teatfish sea cucumbers under the Endangered Species Act. Overfishing to supply the luxury seafood trade has caused rapid population declines for this sea cucumber species that is found in shallow waters outside the United States.
Read more.Federal Report Acknowledges Low Polar Bear Numbers
WASHINGTON— In response to a lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Biden administration today released long-overdue population reports for polar bears in Alaska and sea otters in California.
Read more.Leader of Campaign to Stop Formosa Plastics Wins Top Environmental Award
SAN FRANCISCO — Louisiana’s Sharon Lavigne, who has led an international environmental campaign to stop Formosa Plastics from building one of the world’s biggest petrochemical complexes in her predominantly Black community, will be honored with a Goldman Environmental Prize today. She was recognized for stopping the Wanhua plastics plant, proposed for St. James Parish, Louisiana, in 2019 and her ongoing work against other polluting projects proposed for the region.
Read more.‘A Wake for the Whales’ Marks Bay Area Deaths, Calls for New Protections
SAN FRANCISCO— Conservation groups and whale lovers gathered today — which is World Oceans Day — at Crissy Field Beach in San Francisco to honor the 12 dead whales that have washed up in the Bay Area so far this year and call for greater protections. Attendees took actions calling for specific solutions to the three top threats to whales: ship strikes, entanglement in fishing gear and climate change.
Read more.‘A Wake for the Whales’ to Mark Bay Area Deaths, Call for New Protections
SAN FRANCISCO— Conservation groups and whale lovers will gather on Tuesday, June 8, which is World Oceans Day, at Crissy Field East Beach in San Francisco to honor the 12 dead whales that have washed up in the Bay Area so far this year and call for greater protections.
Read more.Federal Appeals Court Reverses Failure to Protect Pacific Walrus
SAN FRANCISCO— The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today that the Trump administration’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service improperly denied Endangered Species Act protections to the Pacific walrus.
Read more.Salmon Fishery Plan Change Proposed to Protect Endangered Orcas
SEATTLE— Federal fisheries managers proposed an amendment to the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan today to ensure critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales don’t starve. The proposal would limit non-tribal commercial Chinook salmon fishing in years where the estimated population falls below 966,000 salmon so that the orcas can still get enough to eat.
Read more.Biden Administration Proposes to Allow Oil Companies to Disturb Polar Bears, Walruses in Alaska’s Arctic
ANCHORAGE, Alaska— The Biden administration issued a proposed rule today allowing oil companies operating in the Beaufort Sea and Western Arctic to harass polar bears and Pacific walruses when drilling or searching for oil for the next five years.
Read more.In Court, Justice Department Defends Trump’s Approval of Large Oil-Drilling Project in Western Arctic
ANCHORAGE— The Department of Justice has filed a legal brief defending the Trump administration’s approval of a massive oil and gas project known as the Willow Master Development Plan in Alaska’s Western Arctic.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched Over DDT Ocean Dumping off Southern California
TORRANCE, Calif.— Following the recent discovery that up to 500,000 barrels of the banned pesticide DDT were dumped into the Pacific Ocean off Southern California, the Center for Biological Diversity sent Montrose Chemical Corp. and its successor parent company, Bayer Corp., a notice of intent to sue them today. Today’s notice letter calls for the companies to take responsibility for this toxic threat to public health and wildlife.
Read more.Attorneys General Demand Deeper Army Corps Analysis of Formosa Plastics’ Louisiana Project
NEW ORLEANS— New York State Attorney General Letitia James and four other attorneys general sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers today demanding a deeper analysis of the climate, wildlife and environmental justice impacts of Formosa Plastics’ massive proposed petrochemical complex in St. James Parish, Louisiana.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched to Force Federal Regulation of PVC as Hazardous Waste
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a notice today of its intent to sue the federal government for failing to regulate polyvinyl chloride — more commonly known as PVC or vinyl — as hazardous waste. PVC is one of the mostly commonly used and discarded forms of plastic, yet numerous studies have found it’s highly toxic to human health and the environment.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched After Pair of Fin Whales Killed During Military Exercise
SAN DIEGO— After two dead fin whales were found on the hull of a military destroyer in San Diego, California on May 8, the Center for Biological Diversity sent the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Navy a letter today demanding the agencies consult on ways to avoid killing endangered whales. The Center’s letter warned the agencies it will be forced to sue if they fail to do so.
Read more.Petition Filed to Save Gulf of Mexico Whale From Ship Strikes
WASHINGTON— A coalition of groups filed a petition today with the National Marine Fisheries Service to establish a year-round mandatory 10-knot speed limit and other vessel-related regulations within the core habitat of the Gulf of Mexico whale, south of the Florida panhandle.
Read more.100,000 Petitioners Call for Biden to Act on Plastic Pollution, Production
SAN FRANCISCO— Members of the national coalition behind the Presidential Plastics Action Plan gathered outside the Environmental Protection Agency’s San Francisco office today to deliver more than 100,000 petitions calling for President Biden and his administration to adopt the plan.
Read more.100,000 Petitioners Call for Biden to Act on Plastic Pollution, Production
SAN FRANCISCO— Members of the national coalition behind the Presidential Plastics Action Plan will gather outside the Environmental Protection Agency’s San Francisco office on Monday to deliver speeches and more than 100,000 petitions calling for President Biden and his administration to adopt the plan.
Read more.Groups File Third Intervention Defending Pause on Federal Oil, Gas Leasing
LAKE CHARLES, La.— Conservation groups moved today to intervene in a lawsuit defending the Biden administration’s decision to pause new federal oil and gas leasing while it reviews the government leasing program.
Read more.Federal Petition Seeks Ship Speed Limits to Protect Whales Off California
SAN FRANCISCO— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a legal petition with the Biden administration today requesting mandatory speed limits for vessels off California to protect whales. Vessel strikes are one of the leading causes of death for blue, fin and humpback whales off California’s coast.
Read more.Earth Day Celebration at Port of Seattle Seeks to Protect Ocean, Endangered Orcas From Vessels in Salish Sea
SEATTLE— Thursday’s socially distanced Earth Day gathering across from the Port of Seattle offices will celebrate the year-long absence of noisy and polluting cruise ships from the Salish Sea.
Read more.Biden Administration Protects Endangered Pacific Humpback Whale Habitat
SAN FRANCISCO— The Biden administration issued a final rule today protecting 116,098 square nautical miles of the Pacific Ocean as critical habitat for three populations of endangered humpback whales. The rule could begin to help protect migrating whales from ship strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, and oil spills.
Read more.Groups Sue to Prevent Imperiled Sea Turtles From Drowning in Fishing Nets
WASHINGTON— Conservation groups filed a lawsuit today to prevent sea turtles from drowning when they get caught in shrimp trawl nets in the Gulf of Mexico and southeast Atlantic.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched Over Feds Ignoring Ocean Acidification in Oregon
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a notice today of its intent to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to recognize that Oregon’s coastal waters are impaired by ocean acidification related to climate change, so that action can be taken to combat the problem.
Read more.Court Rejects Rule Allowing Oil Company to Harass Endangered Cook Inlet Beluga Whales
ANCHORAGE, Alaska— A federal court in Alaska today rejected a rule issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service allowing Hilcorp Alaska LLC to harm and harass Cook Inlet beluga whales and other marine mammals incidental to its offshore oil and gas activities in Cook Inlet.
Read more.EPA Withdraws Trump-Era Permit for Virgin Islands Oil Refinery
WASHINGTON— The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today withdrew a federal permit for the controversial Limetree Bay refinery on the Caribbean island of St. Croix.
Read more.Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act Receives National Support
SAN FRANCISCO— Organizations and activists across the country are welcoming this week’s introduction of the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act in Congress by projecting anti-plastic messages on landmarks in seven major U.S. cities.
Read more.Congress Urged to Overturn Trump Administration Rule That Prioritizes Oil, Gas Over Protecting Gulf of Mexico Corals
WASHINGTON— The Turtle Island Restoration Network, Center for Biological Diversity and Defenders of Wildlife called on Congress today to overturn a Trump administration rule from January that rolled back the planned expansion of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. The sanctuary is the only known nursery in the world for giant manta rays, and it offers important feeding grounds for sea turtles, sharks and many species of fish.
Read more.Legal Petition Asks Biden Administration to Extend Offshore Oil Leasing Halt
WASHINGTON— Conservation and Native American groups petitioned the Department of the Interior today to put a five-year block on the leasing of all federal waters for offshore oil and gas development. The petition cites climate change impacts, loss of biodiversity, and threats to coastal communities as urgent reasons for action.
Read more.Hawai‘i Senate Bill Bans Harmful Sunscreen Chemicals
HONOLULU— Sunscreens containing two harmful petrochemicals, avobenzone and octocrylene, would be banned from sale in Hawai‘i under a bill passed today by the Hawai‘i Senate.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Federal Failure to Update Marine Mammal Assessments
SAN FRANCISCO— The Center for Biological Diversity and Turtle Island Restoration Network sued the federal government today for failing to update population analyses for polar bears, walruses, sea otters and manatees, as required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Read more.Biden Administration Cancels Offshore Oil Lease Sale in Gulf of Mexico
WASHINGTON— The Biden administration has cancelled a March 17 oil and gas lease sale that would have auctioned off over 78 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management also recently cancelled the public meetings and comment period for an upcoming fossil fuel lease sale in Alaska’s Cook Inlet.
Read more.Work on ConocoPhillips Oil Project in Western Arctic Challenged in Court
ANCHORAGE, Alaska— Conservation groups filed an appeal and plan to request an emergency order today in the 9th Circuit Court Appeals to block ConocoPhillips’ work on its Willow oil and gas drilling project in the Western Arctic. They had sued the Trump administration in December for failing to study climate change and other impacts before approving the project’s final development plan. [UPDATE, Feb 7: The federal district judge granted a temporary injunction blocking work until Feb. 20.]
Read more.Legal Action Contests Reopening of Controversial Refinery in U.S. Virgin Islands
ST. CROIX, U.S. Virgin Islands— Community and conservation groups filed a legal appeal today challenging the federal permit for the controversial Limetree Bay refinery on the Caribbean island of St. Croix that started operating this week. The long-shuttered, pollution-plagued Limetree refinery has been one of the world’s biggest oil-processing facilities.
Read more.Biden Executive Order Pushes for Protection of 30% of America’s Land, Oceans
WASHINGTON— President Joe Biden will issue an executive order today directing federal officials to protect 30% of the country’s lands and ocean waters by 2030, part of an effort to slow the wildlife extinction crisis and curb global warming.
Read more.Biden Administration Halts Oil and Gas Leasing of Federal Lands, Oceans
WASHINGTON— President Joe Biden will issue an executive order today suspending new oil and gas leasing of federal lands and waters. The order is a first step toward fulfilling a Biden campaign pledge and a request made last month by the Center for Biological Diversity and almost 600 other organizations for an end to leasing and permitting for oil and gas extraction on public lands and oceans.
Read more.Flawed Federal Analysis of Endangered Right Whales Prompts Records Request
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a public records request with the National Marine Fisheries Service today to find out why Trump administration officials failed to urgently protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from entanglement in commercial fishing lines. The request seeks communications related to the agency’s draft biological opinion on 10 Atlantic fisheries issued in the final days of the Trump administration.
Read more.Lawsuit Aims to Protect Endangered Whales in California Shipping Lanes
SAN FRANCISCO— The Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the Earth sued the Trump administration today for failing to protect endangered whales from being struck by ships using ports in California. Ship strikes are a leading cause of death for blue, fin and humpback whales off California’s coast.
Read more.Feds Sued to Force Them to Protect Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales From Vessel Strikes
WASHINGTON— Conservation groups sued the National Marine Fisheries Service today for failing to respond to two rulemaking petitions to protect critically endangered right whales from being run over and killed by ships and boats in U.S. waters. The groups are calling for more speed limits to reduce the number of vessel strikes.
Read more.Feds to Be Sued for Weakening Sea Turtle Protections
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— Conservation groups issued a formal notice today of their intent to sue the National Marine Fisheries Service for drastically weakening rules that prevent sea turtles from dying in shrimp trawl nets.
Read more.Habitat Protections Proposed for Ringed, Bearded Seals Dependent on Arctic Ice
WASHINGTON— The National Marine Fisheries Service announced two proposed rules today to designate critical habitat protections for Arctic ice seals in Alaska. The new rules for ringed seals and bearded seals were prompted by a legal agreement with the Center for Biological Diversity, which sued to force the long-overdue protections.
Read more.Arctic Refuge Oil Lease Sale Compromises Vital Alaska Wilderness
WASHINGTON— The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority emerged as the apparent high bidder in the Trump administration's illegal oil and gas lease sale as part of its Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Large Fossil Fuel Project Proposed in Alaska’s Arctic
ANCHORAGE, Alaska— Conservation groups filed a lawsuit today challenging a massive oil and gas project known as the Willow Master Development Plan in Alaska’s Western Arctic. Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law firm, sued the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched Over Stalled Habitat Protection for Endangered West Coast Orcas
SEATTLE— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a notice of intent to sue the federal government today for its failure to finalize expanded habitat protections for critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales, whose population has dipped to just 74 orcas.
Read more.Trump Administration Allows Oil Companies to Harm, Harass Whales Nearly 9 Million Times with Seismic Blasts in Gulf of Mexico
WASHINGTON— The National Marine Fisheries Service has broadly authorized seismic airgun oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico. The long-awaited final rule comes in response to a court-ordered settlement of a lawsuit brought by environmental groups.
Read more.550 grupos piden a Biden que resuelva la crisis de la contaminación del plástico con ocho acciones ejecutivas
WASHINGTON- Una coalición de más de 550 organizaciones comunitarias y de conservación publicó hoy su Plan de Acción Presidencial sobre Plásticos, instando al presidente electo Joe Biden a tomar ocho medidas ejecutivas clave para resolver la crisis de la contaminación por plásticos.
Read more.550 Groups Ask Biden to Solve Plastic Pollution Crisis With Eight Executive Actions
WASHINGTON— A coalition of more than 550 community and conservation organizations today released its Presidential Plastics Action Plan, urging President-elect Joe Biden to take eight key executive actions to solve the plastic pollution crisis.
Read more.Conferencia de prensa en línea para lanzar el Plan de Acción Presidencial sobre el Plástico el 8 de diciembre
WASHINGTON- Una coalición de más de 500 organizaciones comunitarias y de conservación planea lanzar públicamente su Plan de Acción Presidencial de Plástico el 8 de diciembre. El plan insta al Presidente electo Biden a abordar la crisis de la contaminación de los plásticos con una serie de órdenes ejecutivas poco después de asumir el cargo. En una conferencia de prensa virtual en la que se discutirá el plan se incluirán prominentes expertos y defensores de la justicia ambiental, políticos, legales y académicos.
Read more.Online Press Conference to Launch Presidential Plastics Action Plan on Dec. 8
WASHINGTON — A coalition of more than 550 community and conservation organizations plans to publicly release its Presidential Plastic Action Plan on Dec. 8. The plan urges President-elect Biden to address the plastic pollution crisis with a series of executive orders shortly after taking office. A virtual press conference discussing the plan will include prominent environmental justice, political, science, legal and academic experts and advocates.
Read more.Light Projections, Press Conference Launch Presidential Plastics Action Plan
SAN FRANCISCO— Local advocates for federal action to address the plastic pollution crisis will be projecting anti-plastic messages onto the Embarcadero Pier 39 Public Parking Garage on Monday night, Dec. 8, starting at 6 p.m., to help promote the Presidential Plastic Action Plan that’s being released the next day. They’ll be joined by similar displays in New Orleans, Houston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.
Read more.Emergency Petition Seeks to Protect Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales From Fishing Gear
WASHINGTON— Conservation and wildlife-protection groups today filed an emergency rulemaking petition to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from becoming entangled in commercial fishing gear.
Read more.Lawsuit Threatened Over Federal Failure to Update Marine Mammal Assessments
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity sent a notice of its intent to sue the Trump administration today for failing to update population analyses for polar bears, walruses, sea otters and manatees, as required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Read more.Hawai‘i Court Rules Commercial Aquarium Collection Without Environmental Review Illegal
HONOLULU— Hawaiʻi’s Department of Land and Natural Resources violated the law by allowing the aquarium trade to continue extracting hundreds of thousands of marine animals from Hawaiʻi’s reefs without first reviewing the environmental and cultural impacts, the state’s environmental court ruled Friday. The ruling shuts a loophole the agency created after a landmark 2017 decision by the Hawai‘i Supreme Court mandated public disclosure and analysis of the aquarium pet trade’s effects in Hawai‘i.
Read more.Feds Propose More Than 6,000 Square Miles of Coral Habitat Protections in Florida, Caribbean, Pacific
WASHINGTON— The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced two proposed rules today to designate more than 6,000 square miles of critical habitat protections for 12 threatened coral species off Florida, in the Caribbean and in the Pacific Ocean. The rules were prompted by a legal settlement with the Center for Biological Diversity, which sued to force the urgent, long-overdue protections.
Read more.Formosa Plastics Opponents Ask Feds to Expand Environmental Justice Analysis of Suspended Permit, Hold Hearing
NEW ORLEANS— Following the Army Corps of Engineers’ recent suspension of its permit for Formosa Plastics’ proposed Louisiana plant, plaintiff groups in the federal lawsuit that sparked that decision asked today for a public hearing and expanded analysis of the plant’s environmental justice, wetlands and pollution impacts.
Read more.Trump Administration Proposes Rolling Back Arctic Offshore Drilling Safety Rules
WASHINGTON— The Trump administration today announced a rule to weaken offshore drilling safety rules specially designed for the Arctic’s hazardous, remote waters. It’s the administration’s third major rollback of offshore safety regulations created by the Obama administration after the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
Read more.Navy’s Pacific Northwest Training Plan to Harass Endangered Whales
SEATTLE— The Trump administration published a final rule today allowing the U.S. Navy to harm and harass endangered whales and other marine mammals 1.7 million times during military training exercises in the Pacific Northwest over the next seven years.
Read more.Army Corps Suspends Permit for Formosa Plastics’ Controversial Louisiana Plant
WASHINGTON— The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced plans today to suspend its permit for Formosa Plastics’ proposed plant in St. James Parish, Louisiana. The move comes just before a Nov. 5 filing deadline for the Corps to defend its issuance of permits in a federal lawsuit filed by project opponents. The agency has asked the federal court to stay proceedings in the case.
Read more.California Approves Regulations to Reduce Whale Entanglements in Crab Gear
SACRAMENTO, Calif — California state officials have released a final rule to reduce the risk that endangered whales and sea turtles will get entangled in commercial Dungeness crab gear. The new regulations, which go into effect Nov. 1, were prompted by steep annual increases in reported whale entanglements and a lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity.
Read more.Lawsuit Aims to Protect Snowy Plovers From Off-road Vehicles at Oceano Dunes
OCEANO, Calif.— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the California Department of Parks and Recreation today for continuing to allow motorized vehicle use that kills protected snowy plovers at Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Inadequate Federal Review of Gulf of Mexico Endangered Species
GREENBELT, Md.— Four conservation groups filed a lawsuit today challenging the federal government’s failure to comply with the Endangered Species Act in its assessment of the harm the offshore oil industry inflicts on endangered and threatened marine wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico. This long-overdue assessment was triggered by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon tragedy and took a decade to complete.
Read more.Ocean-based Climate Solutions Act Would End Offshore Oil Leasing, Protect Marine Habitat
WASHINGTON— Legislation to end the federal offshore oil-leasing program and pursue other oceans-related solutions to the climate change crisis was introduced today by House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl Grijalva.
Read more.‘March for Black Lives’ to Say No to Louisiana’s Amendment 5, Formosa Plastics
GRAMERCY, La.— Opponents of the massive proposed petrochemical complex that Formosa Plastics seeks to build in Louisiana are planning a “March for Black Lives: No on Amendment 5” for this Saturday.
Read more.EPA OKs First Finfish Farm in Federal Waters
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— The Environmental Protection Agency has authorized a permit to discharge 80,000 pounds of fish farm waste directly into the Gulf of Mexico from the first finfish farm ever authorized in federal waters. The Velella Epsilon experimental fish farm off Florida’s west coast received the permit late yesterday, the EPA announced today.
Read more.Seismic Blasting Efforts Halted in Atlantic Ocean
CHARLESTON, S.C.— A status conference on seismic litigation revealed today the industry will not pursue efforts to employ seismic blasting to search the Atlantic Ocean for offshore petroleum deposits this year, and possibly for several years.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Federal Approval of Alaska LNG Project
WASHINGTON— Conservation groups sued the federal government today for approving the Alaska LNG project, which would export U.S. liquefied natural gas to Asia. The lawsuit challenges the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s May 21 approval of the project and refusal to grant a June 23 request for rehearing.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched to Challenge Seattle Harbor Expansion’s Threats to Orcas
SEATTLE— The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers failed to consider how ship traffic harms critically endangered orcas when it approved plans to expand Seattle Harbor, the Center for Biological Diversity said today in a notice of its intent to sue the agency. This declining population of orcas is down to just 72 individuals.
Read more.Trump Administration Sued for Failing to Protect Nassau Grouper Habitat
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— Conservation groups sued the federal government today for failing to protect the nearshore habitat of the Nassau grouper, which faces threats from pollution and climate change impacts such as sea-level rise and ocean acidification.
Read more.Lawsuit Fights Trump Administration Plan to Open 18 Million Acres of Western Arctic to Oil and Gas Drilling
ANCHORAGE — Conservation groups today sued the Trump administration over its plan to allow oil and gas drilling on 18.7 million acres of the Western Arctic, known as the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.
Read more.Lawsuit Aims to Block Drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
ANCHORAGE, Alaska— Environmental groups filed a lawsuit in federal court today challenging the Trump administration’s decision to allow oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Bureau of Land Management’s plan for drilling in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge would cause irreparable damage to one of the world’s most important wild places and takes the United States in exactly the wrong direction on combating climate change, the suit says.
Read more.Federal Government Agrees to Protect Green Sea Turtle Habitat
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service must designate protected critical habitat for green sea turtles under a new legal agreement with conservation groups. Sea-level rise, plastic pollution and global warming threaten green sea turtle habitat.
Read more.Judge Orders Deadline for New North Atlantic Right Whale Protections
WASHINGTON— As a result of a successful lawsuit by several environmental and animal organizations, a federal judge today ordered federal fishery managers to issue a new rule for critically endangered North Atlantic right whales no later than May 31, 2021.
Read more.California Moves to Protect Declining Leatherback Sea Turtles
SACRAMENTO, Calif.— The California Fish and Game Commission voted 5-0 today to advance leatherback sea turtles to candidacy under the state’s Endangered Species Act. The vote follows a June 2020 recommendation by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife that increased protections may be warranted. The action came in response to a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity and Turtle Island Restoration Network.
Read more.Ban on Collecting Hawaii Reef Fish for Aquarium Trade Upheld
HONOLULU— The state of Hawaii’s Environmental Council has upheld the Board of Land and Natural Resources’ decision to maintain the ban on collecting fish for the aquarium pet trade off the west coast of Hawaii Island and to reject an environmental impact statement aimed at restarting the destructive practice.
Read more.ExxonMobil Oil Trucking Plan Jeopardized by Refinery Shutdown, County Staff Opposition to Using Dangerous Route 166
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – ExxonMobil’s plans to restart its offshore drilling platforms in Santa Barbara County and truck that oil through California have been undermined by two unrelated announcements. Opponents responded today by calling on the company to abandon the project and decommission its offshore operations.
Read more.Feds: High Extinction Risk for All Seven Leatherback Sea Turtle Populations
WASHINGTON— A new review of leatherback sea turtle science concludes that seven distinct populations of leatherback sea turtles face a high extinction risk. The National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today a finding that all seven leatherback sea turtle populations remain endangered, denying a petition by the commercial fishing industry to relax some protections.
Read more.Black Teatfish Sea Cucumbers Move Toward Endangered Species Protection
WASHINGTON— The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service found today that the imperiled black teatfish sea cucumber may warrant Endangered Species Act protection and potentially a trade ban. Overfishing and the wildlife trade have caused rapid population declines for these plump, spotted, shallow-water sea cucumbers.
Read more.Vessel Speed Limits Sought to Protect Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales
WASHINGTON— Conservation groups filed a rulemaking petition today seeking additional ship-speed limits along the Atlantic coast to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. In June a baby right whale was found dead off the coast of New Jersey, with propeller wounds across its head, chest and tail.
Read more.Santa Barbara County to Vote on ExxonMobil Plan to Restart Offshore Platforms, Truck Oil in California
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— Santa Barbara County has released the final environmental impact report on ExxonMobil’s proposal to transport oil by tanker trucks so it can restart three drilling platforms off California, setting up a vote on the project.
Read more.Trump Administration OKs Liquid Natural Gas by Rail Despite Explosion Risks
WASHINGTON— The Trump administration released a final rule today allowing liquefied natural gas (LNG) to be shipped by rail, overruling critics who warn that it risks deadly explosions. The Federal Railroad Administration and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration amended federal hazardous-materials rules that have prohibited LNG from being shipped by train.
Read more.Formosa Plastics Agrees to Delay Work on Louisiana Plant After Opponents File for Injunction
ST. JAMES PARISH, La.— A federal judge has approved Formosa Plastics’ agreement not to start construction work on its massive petrochemical complex in St. James Parish, Louisiana after opponents filed a preliminary injunction on July 14 to block work on the site.
Read more.California Data Show Regular Truck Crashes, Deaths Along Proposed ExxonMobil Oil-trucking Route
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— There’s been a large truck collision every week, and almost two fatalities per year, on average over the past five years along the California highways where ExxonMobil wants to send up to 70 oil tanker trucks a day, according to California Highway Patrol data analyzed by the Center for Biological Diversity.
Read more.Opponents of Formosa Plastics’ Louisiana Plant File for Preliminary Injunction
ST. JAMES PARISH, La.— Opponents of Formosa Plastics’ massive proposed petrochemical complex in St. James Parish, Louisiana filed for a preliminary injunction today to block construction of the project. The proposed facility would be one of the largest plastics plants in North America.
Read more.Right Whales Decline as Deadly Entanglements Continue, IUCN Finds
GLAND, Switzerland— North Atlantic right whales are moving closer to extinction, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) declared today in an update to its “Red List of Threatened Species.” The large whales found off the East Coast of the United States and Canada are declining because of entanglements in commercial fishing gear and ship strikes.
Read more.California Coastal Commission Orders Oceano Dunes to Remain Closed to Vehicles to Protect Nesting Shorebirds
OCEANO, Calif.— The California Coastal Commission has ordered State Parks officials to keep significant portions of Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area closed to vehicles and camping through the end of September to protect western snowy plovers.
Read more.California Holds Hearing on Rule to Prevent Whale Entanglements in Crab Gear
SACRAMENTO, Calif.— California wildlife officials are accepting public comments and holding an online hearing today on a proposed rule to reduce the number of endangered whales and sea turtles that get entangled in commercial Dungeness crab gear.
Read more.Filing Challenges Trump Administration Approval of Alaska LNG Project
WASHINGTON— Environmental groups and an Alaskan Native village council filed a formal request Monday for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reconsider its approval of the Alaska LNG project, which would export U.S. fossil fuel to Asia.
Read more.California Agency: Protection for Leatherback Sea Turtles May Be Needed
SACRAMENTO, Calif.— The California Department of Fish and Wildlife recommended today that Pacific leatherback sea turtles move toward protection under the state’s Endangered Species Act. The action came in response to a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity and Turtle Island Restoration Network.
Read more.California Officials Interfering With Protected Shorebirds’ Nesting at Oceano Dunes
OCEANO, Calif.— California parks officials may have violated the Endangered Species Act by interfering with western snowy plovers’ nesting activities at Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area, according to a warning letter sent today by the Center for Biological Diversity.
Read more.Trump Removes Atlantic Ocean Protections to Expand Commercial Fishing
BANGOR, Maine— President Trump issued an executive order today allowing commercial fishing in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. The announcement, made amid the COVID-19 pandemic and continuing national protests against police violence, follows a federal court ruling in December that rejected a challenge by commercial fishing group to the monument’s designation.
Read more.Judge: EPA Must Update 26-year-old Plan for Offshore Oil Spills
SAN FRANCISCO— A federal judge ruled late Tuesday that the Trump administration must update its outdated plans for responding to offshore oil spills. Current plans by the Environmental Protection Agency don’t take into account studies raising health and environmental concerns about the frequent use of toxic chemical oil dispersants.
Read more.California Proposes Regulations to Prevent Whale Entanglements in Crab Gear
SACRAMENTO, Calif.— California state officials released a proposed rule today to reduce the number of endangered whales and sea turtles that get entangled in commercial Dungeness crab gear. The Risk Assessment and Mitigation Program (RAMP) was prompted by steep annual increases in reported whale entanglements and a lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity.
Read more.Pipeline Shutdown Prevented 34 Million Tons of Carbon Pollution in California
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— The failure of Plains All American Pipeline’s coastal California oil pipeline five years ago prevented massive emissions of climate pollution. If the seven offshore drilling platforms served by the pipeline had not gone idle, they would have added 33.9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution to the atmosphere.
Read more.‘Oil 101’ Webinar to Discuss Industry Impacts on Santa Barbara County
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— Environmental groups will hold an online education session called “Oil 101: Moving Beyond Platforms, Pipelines and Pollution in Santa Barbara” on Monday, May 18. The webinar, open to the public and media, will discuss the legacy of the Plains Pipeline oil spill that blackened Santa Barbara area beaches five years ago. It will also include a discussion of ExxonMobil’s pending proposal to restart its offshore platforms and truck that oil on California highways, Cat Canyon and other local onshore drilling projects, and the need to address climate change.
Read more.Petition Seeks Federal Protections for Black Teatfish Sea Cucumbers
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the federal government today to protect black teatfish under the Endangered Species Act. Overfishing and wildlife trade have caused rapid population declines for this spotted, plump sea cucumber, found in shallow waters outside the United States.
Read more.Louisiana Groups Urge Delay in Power Project for Industrial Polluters, Citing COVID-19 Concerns
ST. JAMES PARISH, La.— The coalition opposing Formosa Plastics’ massive proposed petrochemical complex in St. James Parish, Louisiana, has requested a delay in upgrading electric transmission lines to serve that project and future industrial polluters. The coalition’s letter cites current public health warnings about COVID-19 and damage to wetlands.
Read more.Trump Administration to Consult on Protecting Endangered Whales in California Shipping Lanes
LONG BEACH, Calif.— The Trump administration has agreed to examine ways to better protect endangered whales and sea turtles from being struck by ships using California ports.
Read more.Trump Administration Moves to Weaken Oil Pipeline Spill Rules
WASHINGTON— The Trump administration proposed weaker new rules today governing how companies operating oil pipelines prepare for and respond to oil spills. The changes would eliminate or modify several key protections and relieve companies of the responsibility for reporting many oil spills.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched Against Trump Administration for Failing to Protect Nassau Grouper Habitat
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— Conservation groups launched a lawsuit against the Trump administration today for failing to protect Nassau grouper habitat, which faces threats from nearshore pollution and climate change impacts like sea-level rise and ocean acidification.
Read more.Lawsuit Prompts Review of Plastic Pollution Impacts on Hawaiian Waters
HONOLULU— Responding to a lawsuit from environmental groups, the Trump administration has ordered Hawaii to examine the impact of plastic pollution on its waters, beaches and wildlife.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration’s Expansion of Gulf of Mexico Drilling
WASHINGTON—Environmental groups filed a legal challenge today to the Trump administration’s latest oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico. The supplemental complaint over today’s offshore auction follows similar lawsuits in 2018 and 2019 that say federal officials illegally expanded Gulf drilling without fully analyzing the risks to people, wildlife or the environment.
Read more.Lawsuit Advances Protections for Hawaii’s Cauliflower Coral
HONOLULU— The Trump administration has finally agreed to make a decision about protecting cauliflower coral around Hawaii under the Endangered Species Act. In an agreement with the Center for Biological Diversity filed in federal district court in Honolulu today, the National Marine Fisheries Service says it will determine whether the coral warrants protection under the Endangered Species Act by June 30.
Read more.Opponents of Formosa Plastics Project to Demand Louisiana’s St. James Parish Council Rescind Approval
CONVENT, La.— Opponents of Formosa Plastics’ massive proposed petrochemical complex in Louisiana will urge the St. James Parish Council today to rescind its land-use permit for the project, following up similar earlier requests with new information. The demand follows the discovery of burial sites of enslaved people on the property, the filing of two lawsuits against the project, and the record-setting $50 million settlement of a lawsuit against Formosa for polluting Texas waterways with billions of plastic pellets.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched to Protect Endangered Whales in California Shipping Lanes
LOS ANGELES— The Center for Biological Diversity notified the Trump administration today that it is failing to protect endangered whales and sea turtles from being struck by ships using ports in California.
Read more.Lawsuit Forces Trump Administration to Protect Habitat for 12 Coral Species
WASHINGTON— The Trump administration agreed today to issue critical habitat protection for 12 threatened coral species: five species found in Florida and the Caribbean and seven around islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Read more.Trade Ban, Stronger Protections Sought for 20 Imperiled Coral Species
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the federal government today to provide critical new protections for 20 threatened coral species, including a ban on trade and new rules against killing and harming them. Although the corals have been listed under the Endangered Species Act since 2014, they currently receive few safeguards, despite existential threats from climate change and the aquarium trade.
Read more.Appeal Challenges Louisiana’s Air Permits for Formosa Plastics’ Massive Petrochemical Complex in Cancer Alley
ST. JAMES PARISH, La.—Local and national organizations filed an appeal today challenging the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality’s decision to approve air permits for Formosa Plastics’ massive proposed petrochemical complex in St. James Parish. The complex would contain 14 plants spanning 2,500 acres, just one mile from an elementary school in a predominantly African American community already inundated with industrial pollution.
Read more.Salmon Advocates Challenge Approval of Washington Net Pen Aquaculture
SEATTLE— Conservation and environmental groups filed a lawsuit today challenging a recent decision by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife permitting Cooke Aquaculture to rear domesticated steelhead in Puget Sound net pens.
Read more.Bill Would Slow Expansion of U.S. Plastic Production, Study Impacts to Communities, Oceans, Climate
WASHINGTON― U.S. Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) introduced legislation today that would slow the fossil fuel industry’s aggressive push to increase production of plastic and also require studies about its effects on communities, marine life and climate change.
Read more.Federal Protection Sought for Rare Freshwater Alaska Seals
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the federal government today to provide Endangered Species Act protection to a rare population of approximately 400 freshwater seals found only in Alaska’s Iliamna Lake.
Read more.Lawsuit Targets Trump Administration’s Failure to Protect Hawaiian Waters From Plastic Pollution
HONOLULU— Environmental groups sued the Trump administration today for failing to protect 17 coastal water bodies around Hawaii from widescale plastic pollution that covers beaches, degrades coral reefs and threatens birds, fish, sea turtles and other wildlife.
Read more.Dugong Defenders to Rally Today at S.F. Hearing on U.S. Airbase’s Threat to Endangered Animals
SAN FRANCISCO— Activists will stand with Turtle Island Restoration Network and The Center for Biological Diversity on Monday to protest the construction of a new U.S. military base in Okinawa, Japan.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched to Save Alaska’s Cook Inlet Beluga Whales From Harmful Oil Exploration
ANCHORAGE, Alaska— Conservation groups today threatened to sue the Trump administration for approving oil exploration in Alaska’s Cook Inlet after new federal data found a dramatic decline in the area’s population of endangered beluga whales.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges EPA’s Dangerously Outdated Plan for Offshore Oil Spills
WASHINGTON— The University of California-Berkeley Environmental Law Clinic and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit today in federal court in San Francisco to compel the Environmental Protection Agency to issue rules restricting use of chemical agents such as Corexit to clean up oil spills.
Read more.Petition Seeks California Endangered Species Protections for Leatherback Sea Turtles
OAKLAND,Calif.— The Center for Biological Diversity and Turtle Island Restoration Network filed a petition today to protect leatherback sea turtles under the California Endangered Species Act.
Read more.Louisiana Issues Air-pollution Permits for Formosa Plastics Plant
ST. JAMES PARISH, La.— The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality today issued air-pollution permits for a massive petrochemical complex that Formosa Plastics wants to build in St. James Parish, Louisiana.
Read more.Court: Trump Administration Unlawfully OK’d Longline Fishing Off California
OAKLAND, Calif.— A federal district court has ruled that the National Marine Fisheries Service failed to adequately analyze threats to critically endangered leatherback sea turtles when it allowed longline fishing off California. The Trump administration violated the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act in failing to consider the best available science on impacts to leatherbacks.
Read more.Trump Administration Permits Oil Company to Harm Alaska’s Endangered Whales, Ice Seals
ANCHORAGE—The Trump administration today announced the issuance of federal take permits that would allow Hilcorp Alaska to kill or seriously injure 14 whales and nine ice seals as it constructs the Liberty offshore drilling island. The controversial project would be the first offshore drilling development in federal Arctic waters.
Read more.Legal Petition Seeks New Air Pollution Standards for Petrochemical Plants
WASHINGTON― More than 350 community and conservation organizations filed a legal petition today that demands the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adopt strict air pollution standards for industrial plants that create plastic.
Read more.National Coalition to Announce Legal Challenge to Plastic Plant Pollution at San Francisco EPA Office
SAN FRANCISCO― More than 350 community and conservation organizations from around the country will announce a major new legal challenge to pollution from industrial plants that create plastic tomorrow in San Francisco.
Read more.Legal Pressure Forces Trump Administration to Protect Imperiled Ice Seals’ Arctic Habitat
WASHINGTON— The Trump administration agreed today to finally make a decision on designating critical habitat in Alaska for two ice-seal species. Both bearded and ringed seals are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act because climate change is melting their Arctic sea-ice habitat.
Read more.Trump Administration Proposes Oil Drilling Expansion in Alaska’s Arctic Reserve
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Trump administration released a new draft plan today that could dramatically increase the federal land available for oil and gas drilling in Alaska’s Arctic Reserve. The Bureau of Land Management’s proposal includes an alternative that would turn over about 18.3 million acres to the oil industry.
Read more.Trump Administration Denial of Protection to Pacific Walruses Appealed
ANCHORAGE, Alaska— The Center for Biological Diversity filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit today challenging the Trump administration’s denial of Endangered Species Act protection to Pacific walruses. The Center’s lawsuit says officials have ignored the threat that climate change and the loss of Arctic sea ice poses to the walrus’ survival.
Read more.California Crab Season Opening Delayed by Whale Entanglement Risk
SACRAMENTO— The California Department of Fish and Wildlife today announced a preliminary decision to delay this week’s opening of commercial Dungeness crab season after aerial surveys showed the presence of humpback whales. Whale entanglements in crab lines have been a major problem in recent years, which the Department pledged to address in a legal agreement earlier this year with the Center for Biological Diversity.
Read more.Poll: Most Santa Barbara County Voters Oppose Plans to Restart Offshore Drilling
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— A majority of Santa Barbara County voters say they oppose proposals to restart ExxonMobil’s offshore drilling platforms in the Santa Barbara Channel, according to a new poll.
Read more.Ninth Circuit to Hear Arguments Against Arctic Offshore Drilling Project Approval
PORTLAND, Ore.— A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit will hear oral arguments tomorrow in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s approval of the Liberty project, the first offshore drilling development in federal Arctic waters.
Read more.California Crab Season Delayed to Nov. 23 to Protect Whales From Entanglement
SACRAMENTO— The California Department of Fish and Wildlife today announced a delay of the Nov. 15 opening of commercial Dungeness crab season to reduce the risk of whale entanglements. This preliminary decision to delay the opening to Nov. 23 was based on data indicating the prevalence of whales off California presents an elevated entanglement risk.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched Over Trump Administration’s Failure to Recognize Plastic Pollution in Hawaiian Waters
HONOLULU—The Center for Biological Diversity filed a formal notice today of its intent to sue the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency for failing to protect Hawaiian waters contaminated by plastic pollution.
Read more.Feds Launch Process to Protect Endangered West Coast Orcas From Vessel Disturbance
SEATTLE— The National Marine Fisheries Service today announced a public scoping process to determine how to protect critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales from boat noise and disturbance in Washington’s inland waters.
Read more.Trump Administration Sued for Failing to Release Gulf of Mexico Fracking Records
NEW ORLEANS— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the Trump administration today for failing to release public documents revealing the extent and risks of fracking of offshore oil and gas wells in the Gulf of Mexico.
Read more.Formosa Plastics Settles Texas Pollution Case for $50 Million, No More Plastic Releases
VICTORIA, Texas— Formosa Plastics today settled a Clean Water Act lawsuit brought by a former shrimper and San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper challenging its extensive plastic pollution of waterways around its Point Comfort, Texas plant. Under the $50 million settlement, Formosa is paying for pollution cleanup and promises no future discharges of plastic pellets or other plastic materials from the plant.
Read more.Trump Administration Sued for Failing to Protect Hawaii’s Cauliflower Coral
HONOLULU— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the Trump administration today for failing to protect cauliflower coral around the Hawaiian Islands. The bushy, shallow-water coral species has been devastated by ocean warming triggered by human-caused climate change.
Read more.Tests Find Plastic in 20 Percent of Mexican Fish
MEXICO CITY— Microplastics from product packaging and other sources are present in the stomachs of 20 percent of commercially important fish from three regions in Mexico, according to new tests by conservation groups and scientists from prominent Mexican universities.
Read more.Federal Rule Proposed to Protect Pacific Humpback Whale Habitat
SAN FRANCISCO— The federal government proposed a new rule today to designate 302,961 square nautical miles in the Pacific Ocean as critical habitat for three populations of endangered humpback whales. The move could help protect migrating whales from ship strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, and oil spills.
Read more.Trump Administration OKs Nighttime Airgun Blasts That Threaten Endangered Cook Inlet Beluga Whales
ANCHORAGE, Alaska— The Trump administration published a new permit today that aims to allow Hilcorp Alaska to conduct seismic airgun blasting in Cook Inlet at night. But that nighttime blasting violates a federal rule requiring “good visibility” to the “naked eye” to help ensure marine mammals aren’t in the blast zone.
Read more.Climate Strike Highlights Opposition to Restarting ExxonMobil Offshore Oil Platforms Off Santa Barbara
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— California Central Coast residents will march and call for climate action Friday as part of the global Climate Strike Week of Action. The Center for Biological Diversity, one of more than 30 participating organizations, will use the occasion to highlight opposition to ExxonMobil’s proposal to restart its dormant offshore drilling platforms off Santa Barbara County.
Read more.Federal Rule Protects Endangered Orcas’ West Coast Habitat
SEATTLE— The federal government proposed a new rule today expanding critical habitat protection along the West Coast for critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales, whose population has dipped to just 73 orcas.
Read more.Western, Central Gulf of Mexico Excluded From House Bills Banning Offshore Leasing
WASHINGTON— The U.S. House of Representatives passed two bills today to limit offshore leasing in federal waters. But both bills ignore the western and central Gulf of Mexico, where most federal offshore oil and gas production currently occurs, and Alaska. Both bills now move on to the U.S. Senate.
Read more.Formosa Plastics’ Proposed Louisiana Plant Gets Permit to Destroy Wetlands
ST. JAMES PARISH, La.— The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued a Clean Water Act permit for Formosa Plastics’ massive proposed plastic plant in St. James Parish, La. This federal permit authorizes the company to dredge and fill sensitive wetlands along the Mississippi River.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Hilcorp’s Plan to Blast Cook Inlet Beluga Whales
ANCHORAGE— Conservation groups filed a lawsuit today challenging the Trump administration’s approval of rules allowing Hilcorp Alaska LLC to harm Cook Inlet beluga whales and other marine mammals as it expands its offshore oil and gas operations in Cook Inlet.
Read more.West Coast Whale Entanglements Drop After Legal Settlement with California, Crab Fishery
SANTA ROSA, Calif.— The number of whales entangled in fishing gear along the West Coast dropped this year following a legal settlement that ended California’s commercial Dungeness crab season early.
Read more.Lawsuit Filed to Protect Habitat for 12 Endangered Coral Species
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the Trump administration today for failing to protect 12 coral species around Florida and islands in the Pacific Ocean. The corals all received Endangered Species Act protection in 2014, but they did not receive the critical habitat protection the law requires.
Read more.Trump Administration Sued for Failing to Protect Endangered West Coast Orcas
SEATTLE— Conservation groups sued the Trump administration today for ignoring a legal petition to protect critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales in the heart of their Salish Sea habitat.
Read more.Trump Visit to Plastic Plant Ignores Pollution Crisis, Outdated Federal Rules
MONACA, Pa.― President Donald Trump’s visit today to a massive plastics plant being built in Pennsylvania by Royal Dutch Shell ignores the plastic pollution and toxic chemicals such plants are allowed to release under decades-old federal regulations. Local groups protested today’s visit and the petrochemical industry’s plan to increase U.S. plastic production using the oversupply of fracked natural gas.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched to Protect Green Sea Turtle Habitat Threatened by Sea-level Rise, Plastic Pollution, Warming
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— The Center for Biological Diversity, Sea Turtle Oversight Protection and Turtle Island Restoration Network filed a notice today of their intent to sue the federal government for failing to protect green sea turtle habitat, which faces threats from sea-level rise, plastic pollution and warming.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration’s Huge Offshore Drilling Sale in Gulf of Mexico
WASHINGTON― Environmental groups sued the Trump administration today to challenge its fourth oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico. The sale offers more than 78 million acres to offshore drilling without fully analyzing the risks to people, wildlife or the environment.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration’s Failure to Protect Atlantic Sharks, Giant Manta Rays From Lethal Fishing Gear
WASHINGTON— On behalf of Defenders of Wildlife and the Center for Biological Diversity, Earthjustice sued the Trump administration today for failing to protect oceanic whitetip sharks and giant manta rays from being captured and killed in U.S. fisheries in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.
Read more.Trump Administration Permits Hilcorp Alaska to Harm Marine Mammals in Cook Inlet
ANCHORAGE— The Trump administration issued final rules today allowing Hilcorp Alaska to harm beluga whales, sea otters and other marine mammals as the company expands its offshore drilling activities in Alaska’s Cook Inlet.
Read more.Legal Petition Seeks Ban on Plastic Pollution From Petrochemical Plants
WASHINGTON― More than 270 community and conservation organizations filed a legal petition today that demands the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adopt strict new water-pollution limits for industrial plants that create plastic.
Read more.Trump Administration Agrees to Revisit Ocean Salmon Fishing Impact on Endangered West Coast Orcas
SEATTLE― A lawsuit challenging West Coast salmon fishing’s impact on critically endangered orcas was put on hold today after the Trump administration agreed to update its analysis. A federal judge approved the settlement and stayed the case until May 1, 2020, or sooner if the National Marine Fisheries Service completes the new biological opinion that will include mitigation measures.
Read more.Lawsuit Forces Trump Administration to Consider Oil Drilling’s Harm to Endangered Wildlife in Gulf of Mexico
TAMPA, Fla.— Prompted by a lawsuit filed by three conservation groups, the Trump administration has finally agreed to complete a legally required consultation about the harm offshore oil drilling does to whales and other threatened and endangered wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico.
Read more.Louisiana to Hold Hearing on Massive Formosa Plastics Toxic Chemical Complex
ST. JAMES PARISH, La.— Louisiana will hold a public hearing on issuing 15 air permits for Taiwanese company Formosa Plastics. The massive proposed complex would be one of the largest and most toxic plastic production facilities in the world.
Read more.Federal Court Rules Formosa Plastics Is Liable for Plastic Pollution in Texas
VICTORIA, Texas— A federal judge in Texas on Thursday found Formosa Plastics liable for polluting Texas waterways with billions of plastic pellets from its plant in Point Comfort. The Taiwanese company is currently seeking permits to build an even larger plastic-making plant along the Mississippi River in St. James Parish, La., a project strongly opposed by local residents and national conservation groups.
Read more.Trump Administration Sued for Failing to Protect Imperiled Ice Seals’ Arctic Habitat
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the National Marine Fisheries Service today for failing to designate critical habitat in Alaska for two ice-seal species. Both bearded and ringed seals are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act because climate change is melting their Arctic sea-ice habitat.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration’s Rollbacks of Offshore Drilling Safety Regs
WASHINGTON— Ten environmental groups sued the Trump administration today to challenge rollbacks of the 2016 Well Control and Blowout Preventer Rule, a safety regulation meant to prevent another blowout like the one that caused the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Trump Permits for Longline Fishery Off California Coast
SAN FRANCISCO— The Center for Biological Diversity and Turtle Island Restoration Network sued the Trump administration today for permitting a new longline fishery in the Pacific Ocean.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched to Protect Hawaii’s Cauliflower Coral After 36 Percent Decline
HONOLULU— The Center for Biological Diversity today filed a notice of intent to sue the Trump administration for failing to protect cauliflower coral around the Hawaiian Islands. The bushy, shallow-water coral species has been devastated by ocean warming triggered by human-caused climate change.
Read more.Fisheries Meeting Aims to Ensure Enough West Coast Salmon for Starving Orcas
PORTLAND, Ore.— Federal, state and tribal fishery managers and experts on critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales begin meeting today to discuss how West Coast salmon fishing is limiting availability of the starving orcas’ main food source.
Read more.Pipeline Shutdown Prevented 27 Million Tons of Carbon Pollution in California
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— The closure of Plains All American Pipeline’s coastal California oil pipeline after it ruptured four years ago has prevented massive emissions of climate pollution. If the seven offshore drilling platforms served by the pipeline had not gone idle, they would have added 27 million metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution to the atmosphere. That’s roughly equivalent to operating two coal-fired power plants in California over the same period — or burning almost 30 billion pounds of coal.
Read more.Records Show ExxonMobil's Pacific Platforms Were Corroded Before 2015 Shutdown
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— Federal records show ExxonMobil’s offshore drilling platforms on the California coast had widespread corrosion and gas leaks requiring emergency responses before they were shut down by the 2015 Refugio Oil Spill.
Read more.Lawsuit Seeks Details on Ocean Chief's Oversized Role in Slashing Environmental Protections
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration today for refusing to release public records detailing the activities of Stuart Levenbach, the agency’s chief of staff. The NOAA chief of staff oversees the overall operations of the agency and implements the policy directives and objectives of the administration.
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