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Department of Justice Lets Wildlife Killers Off Scot Free
Last month, WildEarth Guardians and the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance sued the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for its failure to prosecute dozens of individuals who have killed endangered animals protected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The DOJ has taken the illogical stance that it can only prosecute cases for the illegal killing of ESA-protected species when it can prove that the killer deliberately intended to kill an endangered species. Our lawsuit seeks to invalidate the so-called “McKittrick Policy” which has led to this systemic failure to prosecute. Absent prosecution individuals have been emboldened to disregard the law, sensing that killing an endangered species would almost certainly not lead to prosecution under the ESA. Read The Los Angeles Times story about our lawsuit here.
Clean Air Suit Gives Hope for Health in Utah and Beyond
Despite skyrocketing particulate pollution levels, the State of Utah has refused to clear the skies in Salt Lake City and beyond, prompting Guardians to file suit last month to put an end to this dangerous problem. The lawsuit actually targets the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) because under the Clean Air Act, when a state fails to protect people from air pollution, the EPA is legally obligated to step in to get the job done itself. Here, Utah was required to submit a plan to clean up the region’s pollution in June of 2011—two years ago. Our hope is to put an end to this pro-pollution foot-dragging and finally force Utah to curb emissions from the region’s refineries, coal-fired power plants, the Kennecott copper mine, and other sources of soot and smog. Read The Salt Lake Tribune story about our lawsuit here.
Push Underway to Ensure Water Flows in the Iconic Rio Grande
WildEarth Guardians has ramped up our campaign to protect the iconic Rio Grande from being left bone dry. In mid-May we warned federal water managers in the Middle Rio Grande that Guardians intend to bring suit in federal court to defend the River’s right to its own water. Over the past decade federal agencies have continually failed to implement solutions—such as acquiring water from farms—necessary to keep the river flowing. Despite this warning, federal water managers unveiled a plan that ignores minimum flow requirements established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and instead will allow the river to diminish to a few isolated pools for the silvery minnow throughout the summer. WildEarth Guardians intends to compel action on the river by holding agencies accountable in court and advocating for water policy reforms and implementation of bold long-term solutions to ensure water for the majestic Rio Grande.
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Guardians Challenges Colorado Coal Giveaway by Interior Department
In his State of the Union address this year, President Obama promised that he would “respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations.” Sadly, the President’s new Interior Secretary, Sally Jewell, seems dead set on breaking the President’s promise. Last month, the Department’s Bureau of Land Management auctioned off a 21.3 million ton coal lease to expand the Deserado mine in northwestern Colorado. The Deserado mine feeds the Bonanza power plant in Utah, a 500-megawatt monstrosity that every year spews massive amounts of carbon from its 600-foot smokestack. In early May, Guardians challenged the lease, but the Interior Department has pressed on, despite pleas from Guardians and Utah physicians. Our next steps are to take the Interior Department to court and to continue to pressure Secretary Jewell to stop flouting the President’s promise to combat climate change.
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Putting an End to Coal Contamination in the Four Corners
Earlier in June, WildEarth Guardians, WildEarth Guardians intensified our fight against coal, this time addressing coal pollution’s damage to the San Juan River. At issue is the Four Corners Power Plant, one of the largest coal-fired power plants in the west and an enormous source of toxic air pollution, including mercury and selenium. This pollution has pushed once abundant native fish, like the endangered Colorado pikeminnow and razorback sucker, to the brink of extinction in the San Juan River. Our challenge stems from the EPA’s approval last year of a new clean air plan for the power plant. The plan opened the door for three of the power plant’s five boilers to be shutdown, but still allowed the plant’s two largest boilers to continue operating with no controls on toxic pollution. Our suit against the EPA, alleges its clean air plan fails to protect the pikeminnow and sucker, as required under the Endangered Species Act. Our aim is to safeguard the San Juan River, but ultimately to secure the full retirement of the Four Corners Power Plant.
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Meet Guardians’ New Wildlife Program Director
Bethany Cotton joins WildEarth Guardians this month to lead our Wildlife Program. Her environmental ethic was born in and nurtured by her childhood stomping grounds in the mountains outside of Ashland, Oregon. At Guardians Bethany will focus on protecting wolves, and many other threatened and endangered species, including overseeing implementation of our landmark settlement with the Fish & Wildlife Service to ensure Endangered Species Act protections for imperiled species. To learn more about Bethany check out her staff profile.
photo credits: Two wolves: Steve Geer, iStock; Utah Smog: Deseret News;
Rio Grande: Adriel Heisey; Four corners Power plant: Jared Blumenfeld EPA Region 9; Guardians Gala: Fern Seiden.
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Activist Spotlight
"I am grateful for the opportunity to be working with WildEarth Guardians on their Beaver and Climate Change Project. It’s an amazing organization filled with highly intelligent, friendly, and respectable people. I grew up in a small community in northern New Mexico and have a deep appreciation for the exceptional beauty and value of our natural surroundings. As a summer intern, this hands-on experience will not only help me in my future career as a conservation professional but also enhance my academic knowledge."
~ Janelle Roybal, Pojoaque, NM
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Events
WildEarth Guardians' staff will be on hand at Avery Brewing Company in Boulder the evening of July 10 for our Craft Brews and Wild Wolf Howls event. Come help us celebrate our work to keep wild wolves in the American West. Enjoy live music, appetizers, and fine craft beers.
Get more details here.
Mark your calendars for our 10th annual Guardians Gala this September 27 at the Farmer’s Market Pavillion in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This years’ featured guest is author and environmental activist, Derrick Jensen. Watch for more info!
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So, How'd it Go?
Throughout the month of April, WildEarth Guardians partnered with AVEDA Corporation across New Mexico for their annual Earth Month Program. After numerous hair cut-a-thon events at AVEDA stores all across New Mexico, a benefit walk for the Rio Grande hosted by Mark Pardo’s AVEDA Institute in Albuquerque, and an attempt to set a Guinness World Record title for “the most money raised for charity by haircuts in a 24-hour period”, people donated nearly $25,000 to fund Guardians’ efforts to protect the Rio Grande. These funds will also help plant over 170,000 trees as we restore six headwater streams in northern New Mexico. Thank you AVEDA and all the individuals that made this possible!
12 States’ Attorneys General jumped onto the wrong side of our legal fight to restrict trapping in the range of the highly-endangered Mexican wolf in New Mexico. AG’s from Arizona, Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah have all weighed in to support New Mexico as it tries to defend its policy of allowing trapping within wolf habitat. Our letter, signed by over 4,300 of our members and activists, will be sent this week to these States’ Attorneys General. Thank you for helping us send a strong message to these public officials — we want wolves, not political interference.
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