"Mr. Obama promised to find better ways of mining coal ... The time to do so is now." —New York Times editorial, calling for end to mountaintop removal mining

Hooked On Fish, Whales Are Dying People and false killer whales love to feast on the same fish—but we are thriving and they are dying ... and it's our fault.
Read the story,
see the video.

A Billion Reasons To Thank EPAThe Bush Environmental Protection Agency refused to regulate this country's most toxic waste stream—even after a billion gallons of it spilled. But there's a new EPA sheriff in town, and what she's doing with coal ash deserves our applause, says Earthjustice President Trip Van Noppen.

Thousands Urge Protection For WolvesNearly 30,000 Earthjustice supporters have sent messages to Interior Sec. Ken Salazar—urging him not to remove federal protections from the northern gray wolf. Add your voice to the campaign to keep these wolves from being hunted.

John McManus: Court: Wild Salmon Must Be Protected There's just no substitute for wild salmon.

Tom's Turn: Nanuclear of the North "Dirty" tar sands provide much U.S. energy.

David Guest: What's Green and Chokes Lake Okeechobee? Something green is killing Lake Okeechobee.

The Zuke: Red Cliff Mine—a Hazy Future? BLM overlooks smog from Colorado coal mine.

Roadless RulesIn his just-published book, Roadless Rules, Earthjustice Editor at Large Tom Turner tells the dramatic story of how America's wild and roadless lands were preserved—despite eight years of determined assault on them by the Bush administration. Order the book online. Tom is making two San Francisco Bay Area appearances in April to discuss the book:

• April 1, San Francisco — The Green Arcade, 1680 Market St. at Gough. 7:00pm
  
  
• April 22, Alameda — Books Inc., 1344 Park St., 7:30pm

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

An Alaska District Court judge stopped construction of an expensive, environmentally destructive road through Tongass National Forest until the "obvious alternative" of improving the ferry system is looked at. Earthjustice has been fighting the Lynn Canal road for years. A local resident climbed / hiked / swam the route of the road and made this video about the trip.

The Alaska Supreme Court has kept about 200,000 acres of state land in public hands rather than letting the University of Alaska use it for self-funding. Many southeast Alaska residents feared they would lose access to the land for recreation, cultural and traditional uses.

Four tiny water creatures are beneficiaries of a Fish and Wildlife Service proposal to designate parts of Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge as critical habitat. Two snails and a shrimp are only found at the refuge, near Roswell, New Mexico. The decision, to be finalized by July 30, 2010, came out of settlement of a lawsuit filed by Earthjustice, WildEarth Guardians and the Center for Biological Diversity.

A giant household cleaner manufacturer, SC Johnson, has agreed to start disclosing chemical ingredients in its products. The announcement came just weeks after Earthjustice filed a lawsuit against other product manufacturers for refusing to disclose ingredients. Johnson avoided being named by working with Earthjustice to determine how it might come into compliance.

Earthjustice applauded President Barack Obama for his memorandum that would undo an eleventh-hour regulatory change by the Bush administration that sought to cripple the Endangered Species Act by cutting scientists out of the review process.

A federal court has ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to close a loophole that—for more than 25 years—has made it easy for mining companies, coal ash dumps, and a host of other polluting industries to skip out on costly cleanups by declaring bankruptcy. The decision paves the way for federal rules that would require hardrock and phosphate mine operators, metal finishers, wood treatment facilities, and other industries to post bonds covering the cost of potential future cleanups.

The EPA must correct inadequate clean air standards promulgated by the Bush administration, a federal appeals court ruled. An Earthjustice lawsuit challenged the administration for rejecting recommendations by its science advisors for stronger airborne particulate standards. The standards limit levels of soot, smoke, and other airborne particles linked to tens of thousands of premature deaths each year.

Through litigation and other measures, Earthjustice achieved these environmental solutions affecting Puget Sound in recent months:

• Municipal Storm Water Permits — In a first-in-the-nation success, we brought about an appeals board ruling that mandates Washington state to make greater use of low impact development.
  
  
• Floodplain Development Limits — The National Marine Fisheries Service is requiring new development standards that ultimately will create restoration of significant salmon habitat.
  
  
• Skagit Tide Gates — After winning against a Skagit River drainage / diking district that had repeated violations of environmental laws, we leveraged a deal with the district and our client to jointly work on a significant estuary restoration project, ending decades of battling between the two.

Want to take part in a creative way to tell Congress
to help wildlife in the face of global warming?

Send a photo of yourself to the Irreplaceable campaign where it will join more than a thousand other photos in the form of a giant "photomosaic" of a polar bear!

Sponsored by Earthjustice, the Irreplaceable campaign brings together art, justice, science and faith groups to raise awareness of global warming's impact on wildlife. Find out more about the photomosaic and the Irreplaceable campaign!

Photo Credit: Andrea Denzler