Case Archive

For the Western Environmental Law Center's 2000-2005 historical dockets and more recent case archives, please click this link. For dockets prior to 2000 please contact us directly.

Defending the Public's Ability to Obtain Injunctions Against Harmful Logging

In order to retain the public’s right to have the courts set aside harmful logging projects, the Western Environmental Law Center is defending against a Supreme Court petition by the Forest Service that would weaken the standards by which the courts review such projects.

Ensuring Cultural Resources in Otero Mesa are Protected from Oil and Gas Development

The Western Environmental Law Center is serving as local counsel to a coalition of “friends of the court” including the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, and the Association on American Indian Affairs to support the State of New Mexico’s efforts to ensure protection of cultural resources in Otero Mesa from oil and gas development.

Protecting the Fort Belknap Indian Community's Cultural and Water Resources from Contamination from Cyanide Gold Mines

On behalf of the Gros Ventre and Assiniboine Tribes of the Fort Belknap Indian Community in northeastern Montana, WELC attorneys sued the Bureau of Land Management and several other federal agencies for permitting the development and expansion of two cyanide gold mines in the Little Rocky Mountains, which are located directly adjacent to and upstream from the Fort Belknap Reservation.

Challenging the Government’s Refusal to Protect Roundtail and Headwater Chubs and their Habitat

The Western Environmental Law Center is representing the Center for Biological Diversity in challenging the government’s refusal to extend Endangered Species Act protections to the roundtail and headwater chubs and their habitat in Arizona and New Mexico.

Defending New Mexican’s Right to Clean Water from Industry Attack

Representing a broad alliance of organizations lead by Amigos Bravos, the Western Environmental Law Center successfully defended the people’s right to clean water.

Protecting and Restoring National Forest Wildlands from Out-of-Control Motorized Recreation

The Western Environmental Law Center worked closely with a key leader in National Forest protection and restoration efforts – The Wilderness Society – to develop core strategies to protect National Forests from uncontrolled and abusive motorized recreation (i.e., off road vehicles).

Securing Protection for Two Old-Growth Dependent Salamander Species

Representing several conservation organizations, WELC challenged the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (“FWS”) finding that the salamanders do not warrant protected status under the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”).

Protecting the Merced River in the Yosemite Valley from Development

WELC has been involved for many years representing numerous groups and individuals as amici (friends of the court) in support of grassroots conservation groups who are fighting to preserve and restore the Merced River, which flows through Yosemite valley.

Fighting for Reclassification of the "NCE" Grizzly Bears

The North Cascades Ecosystem population of grizzly bears is at risk of extinction. Our goal, through this case, is to get the bears reclassified as "endangered" and get the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to implement full recovery of this population of the bear.

Protecting the Valle Vidal of New Mexico

The Western Environmental Law Center serves as chief counsel to the Coalition for the Valle Vidal, an alliance of over 400+ local governments, businesses, conservation organizations, hunting and angling groups, and 1000's of individuals unified in their quest to permanently protect the 100,000 acre Valle Vidal Unit from the threat of unwise coalbed methane development.

Defending the Russian River from Wastewater Discharges

The City of Healdsburg discharged partially treated wastewater without a Clean Water Act permit to 60 acre abandoned gravel mine called Basalt Pond adjacent to the Russian River in Sonoma County, California.

Defending Western National Forests through the Freedom of Information Act

In support of our Roads Initiative, in October of 2005 we sent requests for transportation impact information to 81 western National Forests under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Our requests notified the Agency that we sought the data to oversee its implementation of its recently issued travel management rules.

Protecting Environmental and Cultural Values at risk from the Taos Airport Expansion

The Western Environmental Law Center assisted community members in the Taos area to protect environmental and cultural values at risk from a potentially unwise effort to expand the Taos Airport.

Protecting Lynx from the Federal Predator Control Program

The Western Environmental Law Center is suing Wildlife Services, a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in federal court to ensure that the agency takes incidental killings of the protected lynx into account and alters its wildlife killing methods to account for the presence of lynx.

2005 Historical Docket (pdf)

 

2004 Historical Docket (pdf)

 

2003 Historical Docket (pdf)

 

2002 Historical Docket (pdf)

 

2000-2001 Historical Docket (pdf)