 Jan. 2009,
At a Glance · In the News:
·Gray Wolves Saved
·Trip
·First 100 Days
·Utah Drilling · EJ Blogs · The Stew:
Monthly highlights
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 Earthjustice has identified five important things President Obama can do during his first 100 days in office to make lasting progress for the environment.
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Wilderness Bill
 Legislation protecting 30 million acres of American wilderness could become one of the first bills signed by President Barack Obama. Read what's at stake.
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Events Diagnosis: Mercury
On Feb. 4, in San Francisco, Dr. Jane Hightower will describe her investigation into mercury poisoning, revealing how political calculations, dubious studies, and industry lobbyists endanger our health, in conversation with Earthjustice Vice President for Litigation Patti Goldman. [RSVP] The Danger of Coal Ash
In a virtual town hall, Feb. 5, Earthjustice attorney Lisa Evans—who has tracked the issue of coal ash for nearly a decade—will discuss how to protect communities near a containment site. Ben Dunham, Earthjustice environmental health policy analyst, will talk about legislative efforts to regulate coal ash. [Find out more.] Details for these and upcoming events can be found at Earthjustice Events.
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"We must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin the work of remaking America."
—President Barack Obama, Inaugural Address |
BREAKING NEWS...In one his first acts as president, Barack Obama has halted a last-minute Bush attempt to strip federal protections from northern gray wolves next week. Those First 100 Days Protecting wolves is one of five actions Earthjustice urges the new president to immediately take on behalf of the environment. The Hard Work of Hope The inauguration of Barack Obama brings a sense of fulfillment and hope, but now we must roll up our sleeves and help the new president make good on the environmental agenda he's proposed, says Earthjustice President Trip Van Noppen. Judge Halts Drilling in Utah In a major victory for the environmental community, a federal judge agreed to temporarily halt issuance of leases that would allow oil and gas drilling on some 100,000 acres of pristine Utah wildlands. The leases were hastily pushed through by the Bush administration without consideration of their irreparable environmental harm. |
 |  Tom's Turn: So Here We GoAt his 11th inauguration, Tom Turner finally hears a president care about the earth.
 The Zuke: Now We Can All Retire—Right?Bush has gone but the need for environmental lawyers remains greater than ever.
 David Guest: Florida's Sweet Energy MandateNew energy mandate in Florida.
 Kathleen Sutcliffe: Coal Ash Spills onto Nation's RadarRead more.
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 |  Opposing Western Energy StampedeEarthjustice is spearheading opposition to a wasteful, unproven energy-extraction plan that threatens more than two million acres of public land in Wyoming, Utah and Colorado. Two lawsuits filed last week charge the Interior Department and Bureau of Land Management with illegally rushing through a commercial oil shale and oil tar leasing program.
 EPA to Limit Mercury from Cement KilnsAfter a decade of delay, the Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to adopt mercury air pollution limits for cement kilns. The settlement—representing a hard-fought victory for Earthjustice, its environmental allies and states—will regulate emissions from more than 150 cement kilns in nine eastern states. We'll continue to follow this issue, making sure EPA doesn't change its mind at the last minute.
 Idaho Roadless Rule ChallengedThe Idaho roadless rule—a state rule set up under the Bush "roadless" rule—is being challenged in an Earthjustice lawsuit. Unlike the 2001 roadless rule, which actually protects our public lands and which Earthjustice has been defending since it went into affect, the Idaho rule removes protection for 400,000 acres of Idaho roadless lands and weakens protection for an additional 5 million acres of public national forest. The Idaho rule will more than triple road construction—up to 50 miles of new roads in 15 years—and almost double logging up to 15,000 acres. Much of the land in question is the last remaining habitat for rare wildlife including bull trout, lynx, wolverine, wolves and grizzly bears.
 Suit Confronts Bush Timber GiveawayEarthjustice, filing on behalf of 13 conservation and fisheries protection organizations, is suing to overturn the Bush administration's eleventh-hour decision to nearly quadruple logging on public lands in western Oregon. The Western Oregon Plan Revision, known by the acronym WOPR, rezones 2.6 million acres of federal public forests in Oregon managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The timber giveaway flies in the face of numerous scientific studies concluding that these dramatic increases in logging will harm clean water and healthy streams, push wildlife toward extinction, contribute to global warming, and destroy much of Oregon's remaining old-growth forests.
 Public Threatened by Weak Drilling StandardFrom coast to coast, weak federal clean air standards are leading to smoggier skies and more toxic air, an Earthjustice suit claims. The suit, filed last week, goes after the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to protect communities and the climate from air pollution emitted nationwide by oil and gas drilling.
 Groups take on Industrial Air PollutionBy petition and lawsuit, conservation groups led by Earthjustice are seeking to strengthen air pollution controls affecting 48 industries—from chemical plants and refineries to paper mills and metal smelters. The actions follow a steady stream of court findings that Bush-era environmental rules and policies have blatantly violated federal law because of weak, delayed rules.
 EPA Bows to Pressure over Smog RulesIn a major victory for environmental and public health advocates, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing stronger anti-pollution measures in more than a dozen communities with unhealthy levels of smog. Earthjustice represented groups in the successful lawsuit, prompting the court order that led to EPA's proposal.
 Sweet Settlement for Bitter Lake RefugeFour tiny, endangered creatures have been given a break through a settlement driven by an Earthjustice lawsuit. Last week, Judge Herrera of the U.S. District Court of New Mexico signed an agreement in which the Fish and Wildlife Service will reevaluate its decision not to designate Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge as critical habitat for four endangered invertebrates. Three of the four invertebrates—three snails and a freshwater shrimp—live nowhere else in the world. Despite pollution from oil and gas drilling operations, the FWS had declined to designate the refuge as critical habitat. In the face of the lawsuit, filed on behalf of WildEarth Guardians and Center for Biological Diversity, FWS agreed to revisit that decision. The new proposed rule is due out in March.
 Foundation Honors Earthjustice ChairmanEd Lewis, chairman of the Earthjustice Board of Trustees, has been given the prestigious Wilburforce Foundation Leadership Award for his many contributions to conservation. "We all know how well-deserved this award is, recognizing Ed's conservation leadership as Earthjustice's board chair, as board chair of TREC, as a key player in land conservation in the Northern Rockies, and as a consultant and advisor to many organizations," said Earthjustice President Trip Van Noppen.
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