e.Brief

"This is our garden, our identity, our livelihood." --Steve Oomittuk, mayor of an Inupiat Eskimo village, commenting on threats posed by oil lease sales in the Chukchi Sea.

As e.Brief goes to press, the Bush administration is still procrastinating on Endangered Species Act protections for polar bears, but has stripped Rocky Mountain gray wolves of their ESA protection. And the national fight over clean energy remains focused on Kansas.

Bush puts wolves in crosshairs

Barring court intervention, as many as 1,200 wolves may be shot in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. Earthjustice attorneys are engaged in an aggressive response to keep the states from declaring open season on the wolves.

Polar bears unprotected in Arctic sell-off

It's not hunters but drillers who pose the latest threat to polar bears, which were supposed to be given ESA protections Jan. 9. Instead, the administration postponed the listing and rushed ahead with a controversial oil and natural gas lease sale in the Arctic's Chukchi Sea -- also known as the polar bear seas. Earthjustice President Trip Van Noppen sees this as an example of what's to come as nations vie over Arctic spoils.

Governor vows veto in coal fight

Meanwhile, Kansas state legislators passed special interest legislation that forces regulators to approve a polluting coal-fired power plant rejected last year. The drama is whether they can override a veto promised by the governor -- a champion of clean energy. Earthjustice is vigorously opposing the plant while promoting clean energy alternatives.

Blogging with Tom and Ted

After years of writing a regular column, Senior Editor Tom Turner has turned "Tom's Turn" into a blog. He will be joined in blogging by Earthjustice attorney Ted Zukoski. Both will write regularly -- Tom addressing the environmental world at large and Ted presenting views from the Rocky Mountains. They welcome your readership and commentary.

Today we begin a new feature -- Our Stories -- the personal tales of Earthjustice people taken from their adventures on the globe. Some are light-hearted remembrances. Others reveal the backstory of struggles to protect the environment. Today's story is of the latter kind. Attorney Mike Sherwood recalls when he first learned of the extinction faced by winter-run salmon on the Sacramento River. His pioneer efforts saved them 20 years ago, but he notes, they are again facing doom today.

Exploiters rush into melting Arctic

Countries and companies are rushing to exploit the Arctic now that climate change is melting its fortress of ice. Earthjustice President Trip Van Noppen warns about the impact of this invasion on fragile ecosystems and wildlife.

Bluefin vanishing, mercury rising

Bluefin tuna are being fished to extinction -- and they may be taking us with them because of the lethal mercury levels they contain.

Dugong threat eased

The U.S. Department of Defense must consider the plight of endangered Okinawa dugong in planning the construction of a U.S. airbase in Japan, a federal judge ruled. The ruling is the result of an Earthjustice lawsuit challenging plans by the Department of Defense to build a runway over grassbeds critical to the dugong's survival.

Court rejects pro-mercury rules

A federal appeals court struck down rules by the Environmental Protection Agency that allowed coal- and oil-fired power plants to spew dangerous levels of mercury into the environment -- endangering human health and life. It was a powerful victory for Earthustice and its clients.

Coho safeguarded again

Oregon's coastal coho salmon are again being protected as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The federal National Marine Fisheries Service re-listed the salmon this month after a recent court ruling found that the agency's 2006 decision to deny listing to coho was not based on the best available science.

Gushing Grand Canyon

A four-times normal burst of water into the Grand Canyon this March is too isolated an event to have the kind of long-range effects envisioned when Earthjustice sued to obtain better management of flows from Glen Canyon Dam. The surge offers short term cleansing and beach-building benefits, but what is needed is an annual flush of water followed by seasonal, steady flows the rest of the spring and summer. Because there won't be another surge for at least five years, the benefits to habitat and endangered native fish will quickly disappear under the usual management with fluctuating flows -- a destructive practice that Earthjustice sued to change.

Forest EIS just a re-run

In its Feb. 7 Environmental Impact Statement on management of national forests, the U.S. Forest Service has failed to address concerns raised by a federal court judge. The agency was ordered to do the EIS last year after it proposed weakened rules for protecting forest lands.

Working Assets picks Earthjustice for funding

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