They Make The Mountains Taller

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From: "Earthjustice e.Brief" <enews@earthjustice.org>
Date: Feb 17, 2013 5:56 AM
Subject: They Make The Mountains Taller
To: <aquarianm@gmail.com>
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Forward to a friend        Home      About Earthjustice      Take Action      Donate February 2013         Northern Rockies Victory For Wolverines Covered with fur and filled with fury, the wolverine can fight off grizzlies, but not the hand of man. No more than 300 wolverines survive in the continental U.S. This month, after 12 years and three court challenges by Earthjustice, the Fish and Wildlife Service finally agreed to propose listing the animal under the Endangered Species Act.    Continue Reading »    They make the mountains taller. They make the whole place more alive, and we can't lose animals like that just because we're not paying attention. – Wolverine expert Doug Chadwick Keeping the Wolverine Wild Despite their ferocity, climate change and trapping threaten the wolverine. Hear their story. Trip's Column State Of Planet Needs Action The promises of President Obama won't stop climate change. Amid rising seas, worsening drought and public demand, the president must act, says Earthjustice President Trip Van Noppen.     Continue Reading »    Listen to Trip's Teleconference: How Earthjustice Tackles Climate Change Take Action: Tell President Obama You Support Climate Action, Now   In The News Western U.S. Coal-Plant Exemptions Challenged in Court Eight of the oldest and dirtiest coal plants in the nation are in Wyoming, Utah, and New Mexico, within polluting distance of Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and other magnificent landscapes. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has decided to allow these plants to escape the Clean Air Act's stringent requirements to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, a pollutant that causes haze. Earthjustice has filed a lawsuit on behalf of clean air advocates to challenge EPA's action, which contradicts the Clean Air Act's decades-old goal of restoring visibility to national parks and wilderness areas.    Continue Reading »    Appalachia Rectifying A Broken Promise At the tail end of the Bush administration, the government repealed a rule that was aimed at protecting Appalachian streams from the ravages of mountaintop removal coal mining. The Obama administration confessed that the repeal was a mistake and promised to adopt a new rule to protect streams by 2012. But no action has been taken, so in January a broad coalition of organizations filed suit to challenge the Interior Department's failure to protect Appalachian streams.    Continue Reading »    California New Plan Threatens Tahoe The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, charged with protecting the lake, recently updated its management plan, and the news is not good. The new plan would allow taller buildings, more pavement, and in general encourage more of the sort of development and crowding that have already seriously damaged the lake. Earthjustice has taken the agency to court to challenge this bad plan.    Continue Reading »    Colorado Arch Coal Eyes CO Roadless Coal plants are closing and proposals for new plants are being rejected, but coal companies still seek to mine in ever more sensitive places. One such is the Sunset Roadless Area on the Gunnison National Forest in Colorado, adjacent to the West Elk Wilderness. There, Arch Coal has been given permission by the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to bulldoze 6.5 miles of new roads and clear sites for 48 new well pads. Were this anywhere but Colorado (or Idaho), the area might be protected by the federal Roadless Area Conservation Rule, but Colorado has its own rule, which has a loophole big enough to drive a coal truck through. Earthjustice has filed an Endangered Species Act challenge and may add other claims.    Continue Reading »    Florida Attacking 'Glades Pollution Earthjustice has filed a legal challenge on behalf of the Florida Wildlife Federation to block Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet from allowing Big Sugar and corporate vegetable plantations to continue farming state-owned land in the Everglades for another 30 years. The farming causes severe pollution in the very areas where taxpayers are footing the bill for a multi-billion-dollar Everglade environmental restoration project.    Continue Reading »    Wyoming Fracking Favor Must End The state of Wyoming has rules on the books—as do several other states—that require companies engaged in fracking—hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas—to disclose what chemicals are used in the process, chemicals that may be extremely dangerous. So far, so good, but Wyoming has routinely issued exemptions when companies argue that they be allowed to keep the identity of the chemicals secret. Earthjustice in January went to state court in Wyoming to seek enforcement of the rules as written and intended.    Continue Reading »    Managing Attorney Tim Preso comments on the lawsuit in the January 25 episode of the environmental news podcast, EJ90.   In The Win Column Nationwide EPA Limits Pesticide Experimentation on People Earthjustice challenged a Bush administration rule that allowed pesticides to be tested on people in order to justify weakening public health protections. A settlement was reached, and recently EPA finalized a new rule that will severely curtail the extremely unscientific and unethical aspects of the old rule. As a result it will be harder for the chemical industry to use people as test subjects in pesticide research sent to the EPA.    Continue Reading »    Hawaiʻi Solar Breakthrough in Hawaiʻi Earthjustice and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council recently reached a path-breaking agreement with the Hawaiian Electric Company that will spur the expansion of rooftop solar energy installations. Utilities have traditionally resisted such expansion, arguing that local power lines can't accommodate it. But as more and more customers go green, utilities must evolve for the future. The new plan should encourage rapid deployment of localized green energy like rooftop solar panels, and prove an example for the rest of the country.    Continue Reading »      unEARTHED David Guest Managing Attorney, Florida Slime threatens Florida's magic waterways.     Read Blog Post »    The Zuke Attorney, Rocky Mountain Where's the war on coal and climate change?     Read Blog Post »      Action Center Keep Frankenfish Out Of Our Food Chain The FDA has taken a controversial step toward approving the first-ever genetically-engineered animal made for human consumption. These fish are engineered in foreign laboratories to grow twice as fast as natural Atlantic salmon. And if that's not scary enough, the FDA isn't planning on thoroughly studying all the environmental risks presented by these Frankenfish before giving the green light.     Take Action Today! »    You've been reading e.Brief, Earthjustice's monthly e-newsletter. Having trouble viewing this email? Read it online: earthjustice.org/newsletter Earthjustice. Because the earth needs a good lawyer. Earthjustice is the legal backbone for the environment. Founded in 1971, we annually represent nearly 400 non-profit organizations—without charge—in over 250 cases. Learn about our work: earthjustice.org Photo Credits:   · Victory For Wolverines:  Fewer than 300 wolverines remain in the continental United States. (iStock / AY Images)   · Coal-Plant Exemptions Challenged in Court:  The Four Corners coal-fired power plant in New Mexico. (Ecoflight)   · Rectifying A Broken Promise:  Wolf Creek at the New River Gorge, WV. (Gary Hartley / NPS)   · New Plan Threatens Tahoe:  Lake Tahoe at sunset. (iStock / Eric Foltz)   · Arch Coal Eyes CO Roadless:  Mt. Gunnison in the Sunset Roadless Area. (Ted Zukoski)   · Attacking 'Glades Pollution:  Great egret in Everglades National Park. (Rodney Cammauf / NPS)   · Fracking Favor Must End:  A rally protests fracking. (Chesapeake Climate Action Network)   · EPA Limits Pesticide Experimentation on People:  A farmworker sprays pesticides on a field. (Shutterstock)   · Keep Frankenfish Out Of Our Food Chain:  Young salmon emerge from the gravel to feed. (E. Peter Steenstra / USFWS) ©2013 Earthjustice | 50 California Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA  94111 | 1-800-584-6460 enews@earthjustice.org This email was delivered to you by Earthjustice. Update your personal information or remove your email address from Earthjustice's email list through your profile page.