"The people of Appalachia ... will continue to be the sacrificial lamb for our nation's dependence on coal." —Joan Mulhern of Earthjustice, commenting on government's new mountaintop removal plan.

Historic Fight For
Clean Energy FutureCongress is deciding whether America seizes
the chance for a clean energy economy or capitulates to many more decades of fossil fuel addiction, reports Earthjustice President Trip Van Noppen. Earthjustice is in a fierce struggle to keep oil and coal interests from de-railing this historic opportunity for change.

Humpback Chub Has Friend In High PlacesIt isn't easy being a humpback chub in the Colorado River. Trout are prettier and even catfish are more cuddly. What's worse, as other fish flourish in these waters controlled by Glen Canyon dam, the 4-million year old chub is going extinct. But there's one thing the chub has that his neighbors don't—a friend in high places.

Jared Saylor As Obama stalls, Congress takes on mountaintop removal.

Brian Smith The "God Squad" threat against whales and salmon.

David Guest Court legalizes pollution of United States waters.

Tom Turner Another detour on Roadless Rule road.

Suit Filed to Re-list Gray WolvesIn April, the federal government finished what the Bush administration started when it dropped Endangered Species Act protection for gray wolves in the northern Rockies. With the stroke of a pen, wolves in Montana and Idaho lost legal and habitat protections. Instead, they got state management and the promise of a fall hunt. Conservation groups represented by Earthjustice filed a lawsuit to get back protections for the wolves.

Salmon Get Notch From CourtA federal judge has told the government to consider notching four small, salmon-killing dams on the lower Snake River if other remedies fail to save salmon. Meanwhile, the Obama administration asked the judge for more time to review the legal mess they inherited from the Bush administration before having to act.

In The Win ColumnEarthjustice and its allies won advances—or outright victories—across a broad front in the last month:

Obama Grants Reprieve For Roadless AreasThe Obama administration provided a welcome break for millions of acres of forest lands by virtually freezing development and roadbuilding on them for about a year. Dept. of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that he will make any decisions about roadless area development in the national forests (except Idaho), including Tongass National Forest. During the Bush years, Earthjustice took numerous legal steps to keep our public lands from being turned over to developers, road builders and loggers.

EPA To Review Burning of
Hazardous WasteThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to review a Bush-era rule that allows highly toxic emissions to be released by facilities that burn hazardous waste. There are approximately 265 facilities nationwide that burn such waste, sending poisons into playgrounds and neighborhoods across America. The rule was first challenged in 2005 by Earthjustice, representing the Sierra Club.

A Second Chance For WolverinesUnder pressure from Earthjustice legal action, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has agreed to reconsider whether wolverines in the lower-48 states should be protected by the Endangered Species Act. The agency had earlier concluded wolverines deserve protection but then precluded protecting them. The decision is due by December 2010.

Agency Sets New Rules To Protect California SalmonCalifornia's chinook salmon, steelhead—and even killer whales—are threatened by the way state and federal water projects are managed in that state's Central Valley, according to a biological opinion by the National Marine Fisheries Service. The opinion establishes a new set of operating rules for the water projects.

Protect Glacier National Park! Glacier National Park and its sister park in Canada are threatened by mining and gas drilling. You can help by alerting decision makers.