No. 1184, March 16, 2023

Court Victory for Humpback Whales

A federal judge just ruled in favor of the Center for Biological Diversity after we sued NOAA Fisheries for failing to protect Pacific humpback whales from deadly sablefish-gear entanglements.

On average, 25 humpbacks are entangled annually off the U.S. West Coast. The sablefish industry in particular — which uses 2-mile-long strings of 30 to 50 pots — kills or seriously injures at least one humpback every year as they migrate along the West Coast. And the problem is only going to get worse as climate change alters migration patterns, making it harder for whales to avoid fishing gear.

To make all fishing safer, the Center is calling on the federal government to require all pot-gear fisheries to convert to ropeless gear within the next five years.

Help us keep winning for whales and other species, great and small, with a gift to our Saving Life on Earth Fund.

Take Action: Hit the Brakes on Dirty Oil Trains

On the heels of the toxic railway accident in East Palestine, Ohio, developers are moving ahead with the Uinta Basin Railway, which will send polluting trains hauling millions of barrels of oil from Utah to the Houston area for refining. The project will worsen climate pollution, harm human health with toxic pollution, threaten lands and water with oil spills, and degrade habitat for wildlife like imperiled greater sage grouse. The project will allow Utah drillers to increase oil production by up to 350,000 barrels per day — almost twice as much as the just-approved Willow project in Alaska. 

To finance this disaster, developers want federal approval to issue $2 billion in tax-exempt bonds, which would result in a huge loss to taxpayers while saving the company up to $80 million annually for decades.  

You can help stop this runaway train: Tell the U.S. Department of Transportation to reject these bonds.

Colorado Lags on Green Energy, Relies on Coal

According to new federal data, Colorado trails other states in transitioning to renewable energy. We analyzed recent numbers from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, finding that the state relies on coal for 37% of its power — a lot more than the national average of 20%.

Burning all that coal is causing pollution that damages trees, hurts wildlife, causes disease in Coloradans, and degrades air quality in Rocky Mountain National Park.

“While the Polis administration excels at making excuses, the people, forests and wildlife of Colorado can’t hold their breath for years,” said Center attorney Robert Ukeiley.

Mussels and Moths Win Protections

In response to a petition and lawsuit by the Center and allies, two freshwater mussel species — the round hickorynut and the longsolid — just won Endangered Species Act protection, plus 2,136 miles of critical habitat in rivers from Pennsylvania to Mississippi. Freshwater mussels are among the longest-lived invertebrates, surviving 100 years or more. Unfortunately, they’re also the most endangered group of organisms in the United States.

Rare bog buck moths — found only in certain wetlands of New York and Ontario, Canada — also just got federal protection, 30 years after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service first considered granting it. These striking black-and-white-striped moths are threatened by habitat alteration from nonnative plants, pollution, and climate change.

Biodiversity Briefing: Saving Species Worldwide

The planet is facing an unprecedented extinction crisis, with 28% of plants and animals at risk. After the Center pushed for bold, urgent action to save them all, from elephants to sea cucumbers, leaders at the latest UN Convention on Biological Diversity, aka COP15, agreed to protect one-third of the globe by 2030 — but they didn’t set a goal to halt human-caused extinctions.

In our latest quarterly “Biodiversity Briefing” presentation, Executive Director Kierán Suckling and other Center staff dive into details and discuss what’s next.
 

These personal briefings, including Q&A sessions, are open to all members of the Center's Leadership Circle and Owls Club.

Petition Filed to Protect Rare Desert Wildflower

Today the Center petitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the white-margined penstemon under the Endangered Species Act.

A low-growing herb that favors sandy washes and dunes, the white-margined penstemon has tube-shaped pink flowers and broad green leaves outlined in white.  It’s down to just four populations in the Mojave Desert, all threatened by a long list of dangers. 

“The white-margined penstemon is facing death by a thousand cuts,” said the Center’s Patrick Donnelly. “The global extinction crisis is happening right here in the Mojave Desert, and today we’re fighting back on behalf of this special little flower.”

Revelator:  Beavers, Birds, Bats and Butterflies 

New research just gave us another reason to love beavers: These busy ecosystem engineers boost biodiversity. Their tree-clearing and dam-building ways create wetlands, increase soil moisture, and let more light reach the ground. All that drives the growth of shrubby vegetation, whose flowers draw butterflies, while beaver ponds attract bug buffets for bats. 

Learn more about how beaver activity creates “nature’s supermarket” in The Revelator. 

And if you haven’t yet, sign up for the e-newsletter bringing you each week’s best environmental articles and essays. 

Why TVA Should Transition to Clean Energy

The Center and partners released a new report on the huge potential benefits of the nation’s largest public power utility, the Tennessee Valley Authority, transitioning to 100% clean energy by 2035.

TVA’s Clean Energy Future outlines how the agency — which provides electricity for more than 10 million customers in seven states — can start retiring its fossil fuel plants now, reliably and affordably replacing them with renewable energy. That could create 15,600 new jobs a year, reduce the percentage of household income spent on energy, and generate nearly $27 billion in public health benefits.

You can help: Urge TVA’s CEO and board to transition to clean energy now.

That’s Wild: Flirting, Bobcat Style

Life advice from bobcats: If you want to ask someone on a date, communication is key. Head-bobbing yowls, rapid tail-twitching, and awkward pauses are sure to help you successfully court your sweetie.

This video recently took off on our socials. Find it (and share it!) on the platform of your choice: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or YouTube.

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Photo credits: Humpback whale by Elianna Dipp/Pexels; East Palestine, Ohio train derailment courtesy NTSB; Denver's smog-choked skyline by Dennis Schroeder/NREL, elk in RMNP by Mark Moschell/Flickr; round hickorynut and longsolid mussels courtesy USFWS, bog buck moth by Jesse W. Jaycox, New York Natural Heritage Program; African elephant by Brett Hartl/Center for Biological Diversity; white-margined penstemons by Patrick Donnelly/Center for Biological Diversity; Eurasian beaver by Per Harald Olsen/NTNU; TVA rally courtesy Tennessee Valley Energy Democracy Movement; bobcat video by Robyn Sloan. 

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