Perry Wheeler

Anti-Wolf Ballot Measure Drive Fails to Gather Enough Signatures in Colorado Ballot measure deadline passes ensuring reintroduction can continue

"It’s time to accept the results of the democratic process and continue working together to ensure the best outcomes for both wolves and the communities that live alongside them.” earthjustice.org/press/2025/a...

"Rolling back the Roadless Rule isn’t about safety — it’s about clearing the way for corporate logging and drilling that put our people, our lands, and our security at risk." -Janessa Goldbeck, Marine Corps veteran, CEO of Vet Voice Foundation

READ MORE: earthjustice.org/press/2025/t...

“These national forests belong to all Americans, not to the timber industry. Earthjustice has successfully defended the Roadless Rule in court for decades. Nothing will stop us from taking up that fight again.” -Drew Caputo, Earthjustice VP of Litigation for Lands, Wildlife and Oceans

BREAKING: The Trump administration has initiated the repeal of the Roadless Rule, gutting protections that have safeguarded forests for over 25 years—just to benefit the timber industry through unchecked logging.

The Trump administration’s repeal of the roadless rule could threaten wildlife - High Country News A 2001 policy restricts road construction on Forest Service land. What happens to at-risk species if it’s removed?

“Rescinding the roadless rule opens the door to logging and development in some of the most ecologically important public forests we have. These areas are biodiversity strongholds and carbon sinks that play a vital role in climate resilience.” www.hcn.org/articles/the...

Government Signals Plan to Reopen Powder River Basin to Coal Development We’ve fought too hard to leave coal in the past, where it belongs, to let Trump drag us backward.

The administration is pursuing yet another unwarranted coal giveaway in this move to reopen the Powder River Basin for new coal leasing. Montana lawmakers have also introduced a bill to reopen the region through congressional action. earthjustice.org/brief/2025/g...

Trump Administration Begins Process to Reopen Powder River Basin to New Coal Leasing Resource management plan amendment process follows massive coal giveaways in Republican budget bill

“Just last year, BLM found it impossible to justify continued coal leasing in the Powder River Basin considering the abundant coal already under lease, shrinking demand, and the imperative to phase out fossil fuel development to address the climate crisis.” earthjustice.org/press/2025/t...

Trump to rescind 'Roadless Rule' protecting 58 million acres of forest land Speaking in New Mexico, President Trump's Secretary of Agriculture announced her intention to roll back a landmark 2001 conservation rule passed in the late hour of the Clinton administration.

The Trump admin is rolling back the Roadless Rule, a policy that has protected more than 58M acres of national forestlands from logging. "If the Trump admin actually revokes the roadless rule, we'll see them in court." - Drew Caputo, Earthjustice VP of litigation for lands, wildlife and oceans.

Coal mining made my Navajo community sick for decades. Reviving it hurts us all | Opinion Coal continues to destroy the Navajo Nation's health, land, air and water. The last thing we need is for Trump to revive the industry.

Coal pollution has poisoned the Diné and other Tribal communities for decades. Now the Trump administration and their allies in Congress are pushing a bill that expands mining and short-circuits environmental reviews. This must be stopped.

This mine has been a nightmare for the ranchers who own the surface but not the mineral rights. It will devastate their cattle business by rendering acres & acres unusable for grazing. The company has bullied this family for years.

Interior approves expansion for lawless Montana coal mine without public review  - Western Environmental Law Center The Department of Interior today announced the approval of an approximately 50-million-ton expansion of the notorious Bull Mountains Underground Coal Mine near Roundup, Montana. The Trump administrati...

What a load of bull...

The Department of Interior today announced the approval of an approximately 50-million-ton expansion of the notorious Bull Mountains Underground Coal Mine near Roundup, Montana: westernlaw.org/interior-app...

Interior Approves Expansion for Lawless Montana Coal Mine Without Public Review Administration cites fake “energy emergency” in failing to produce draft EIS

Interior Approves Expansion for Lawless Montana Coal Mine Without Public Review
earthjustice.org/press/2025/i...

‘Half the tree of life’: ecologists’ horror as nature reserves are emptied of insects A new point in history has been reached, entomologists say, as climate-led species’ collapse moves up the food chain even in supposedly protected regions free of pesticides

“Climate change is impacting all those different little spots at the same time... If the insect population collapses and it happens everywhere, you don’t have a residual population.”

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

The Republican Megabill’s Big Coal Handouts Leasing more of our public lands to coal companies and padding their bottom lines will do nothing to promote energy security or reduce costs for everyday Americans.

earthjustice.org/experts/came...

The Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument Is Under Attack We’re suing the Trump administration for trying to illegally open one of the world’s most pristine tropical marine environments to commercial fishing

President Trump’s illegal order to open the Pacific Island Heritage Marine Monument threatens vulnerable species and sacred Indigenous sites. This fight isn’t just about one monument—it’s about protecting communities, biodiversity, and the future of our oceans.

Supreme Court Limits Scope of Nation’s Bedrock Environmental Law Court sweeps aside 50-year-old method for government approvals of potentially harmful projects

“The Trump administration will treat this decision as an invitation to ignore environmental concerns as it tries to promote fossil fuels, kill off renewable energy, and destroy sensible pollution regulations.” earthjustice.org/press/2025/s...

What will happen to Bears Ears monument under Trump? Tribes fear loss of sacred spaces People who live near Bears Ears National Monument in southern Utah fear that the Trump administration will open land to energy development.

“Bluff is where I am from, from the Rez, I can see Bears Ears,” said Navajo Nation Council Delegate and Co-Chair of the Bears Ears Commission, Curtis Yanito (Diné).

Democratic senators press Trump administration on how it will protect endangered species Three Democratic U.S. senators are asking the Trump administration to explain how it analyzed a proposed rule to eliminate habitat protections for endangered and threatened species — and whether industry had a hand in drafting it.

The Trump administration wants to gut the Endangered Species Act by changing its definition of “harm” to exclude habitat destruction. This change would let extractive industries destroy habitats without consequences. We can’t let this stand.

The Great Salt Lake Is Drying. Can Utah Save It? The loss of the Great Salt Lake would be an environmental disaster with health and economic effects far beyond Utah’s borders. The state is taking action, but critics say it’s not doing enough.

Earthjustice and our partners sued over Utah's failure to ensure enough water reaches the Great Salt Lake to prevent ecological collapse. NY Times story today looks at how the state is failing in its public trust duty. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/05/u...

Despite overwhelming support from voters across party lines, national monuments face persistent threats from both the Trump administration and Congress.

Source: 2025 GQR polling of Western voters

Trump has launched more attacks on the environment in 100 days than his entire first term Blitzkrieg has hit protections in place for land, oceans, forests and wildlife, and will worsen the climate crisis

“The result will be fewer environmental protections and more people suffering the public health consequences of more pollution. It’s that straightforward.”

The Trump administration's push to privatize US public lands In its first 100 days, Trump 2.0 has waged war on the lands, waters, and wildlife we all own.

“Even in all these made up crises, the American public doesn’t want this,” Hill said. “The American people want and love their public lands.”

grist.org/climate/the-...

Scientist who recovered grizzlies warns Trump's assault on conservation risks irreversible losses - WyoFile As the president seeks to log, mine, drill and develop, Yellowstone researcher Chris Servheen calls the administration's proposed policy "management based on ignorance."

“Once we lose the resources that we have, the natural resources on our landscape, whether it’s grizzly bears or clean air or clean water, it’s going to be almost impossible to bring those things back … to give that magic to our grandkids.”

wyofile.com/scientist-wh...

Report On National Monuments Eyed For Energy Draws Concerns Reports that the Trump administration was eyeing six national monuments in the West for energy development drew promises Thursday that any reduction in a monument's boundaries would be met with a laws...

Monumental problems? Talk of shrinking national monuments draws talk of lawsuits.

www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/04/repo...

“An attack on any of these national monuments would be illegal,” said Drew Caputo, vice president of litigation for lands, wildlife, and oceans at Earthjustice. earthjustice.org/press/2025/r...

Report: Trump Administration Considers Attacking Six National Monuments for Energy Development The monuments comprise over 5 million acres of national public lands across the west

“An attack on any of these national monuments would be illegal. For the Trump administration to consider handing over our beloved national monuments to industry is both shortsighted and completely unnecessary.” earthjustice.org/press/2025/r...

Earthjustice President Describes a “Fundamentally Different” Era of Hostility Toward Environmentalists Abigail Dillen sees the increase of lawsuits targeting green groups as just one of the growing threats to environmental advocacy organizations — and the people who staff them.

New from @propublica.org: Earthjustice President Abbie Dillen discusses the new reality for environmental groups.

No matter what, we will continue our fight.

Trump moves to allow commercial fishing in vast protected ocean reserve The Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument comprises more than 490,000 square miles of some of the Earth’s last pristine maritime environments.

The notion that existing laws provide sufficient protection “makes no sense,” said David Henkin, an attorney at Earthjustice, an environmental law nonprofit.

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Earthjustice Statement on Trump Administration Executive Order to Open Pacific Marine Monument to Commercial Fishing This order threatens indigenous cultural heritage and critical species’ habitat within and around the monument

“This is yet another attempt by President Trump to undermine decades of work to protect and preserve public lands and waters, endangered species, and cultural heritage in favor of commercial interests." earthjustice.org/press/2025/e...

Trump Administration Plans to Remove Habitat Protections for Endangered Species Proposed rule would eliminate habitat protections for endangered species in the midst of extinction crisis

“This misguided new proposal threatens a half-century of progress in protecting and restoring endangered species. We are prepared to go to court to ensure that America doesn’t abandon its endangered wildlife.” earthjustice.org/press/2025/t...