SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
San Francisco District 11 Supervisor John Avalos speaks against the Keystone XL pipeline during a February 17, 2013 protest at Embarcadero Plaza. (Photo: Steve Rhodes/Flickr/cc)
Green Coalition Threatens to Sue Biden Administration Over Trump-Era Permits That 'Jeopardize' Wildlife
If the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers "continues to ignore its duty to properly account for the harm Nationwide Permit activities pose to species, then litigation may be necessary," the groups said.
Feb 07, 2021
A coalition of environmental advocacy groups on Monday threatened to sue the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for failing to ensure that Trump-era development permits "will not jeopardize endangered species and critical habitat across the country."
"It's long past time for the Corps to rethink its approach to dredge-and-fill permitting and to ensure that these activities will not put endangered species or their habitat in jeopardy."
--Daniel E. Estrin,
Waterkeeper Alliance
The Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Food Safety, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Waterkeeper Alliance, and other groups filed their formal notice (pdf) to the Biden administration regarding Nationwide Permits reissued during the final days of Donald Trump's presidency.
At issue are 16 permits that, according to the Center for Biological Diversity, "will allow hundreds of thousands of discharges of dredged or fill material into the nation's waters and wetlands from oil and gas development, pipeline and transmission-line construction, and coal mining."
"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service have previously found that these activities--which are approved with little or no environmental review--threaten iconic species including whooping cranes, Florida manatees, and the hundreds of migratory birds that need wetlands to survive," the center said.
Last May, a federal judge ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated the Endangered Species Act when it issued Nationwide Permit 12, which allows companies to construct energy projects--including the highly controversial Keystone XL pipeline--at water crossings.
"Rather than comply with a court order to ensure that endangered species are protected from further death and destruction, the Trump administration doubled down on its original violation by issuing even weaker Nationwide Permits with fewer protections for these species," Daniel E. Estrin, general counsel for Waterkeeper Alliance, said in a statement.
"It's long past time for the Corps to rethink its approach to dredge-and-fill permitting and to ensure that these activities will not put endangered species or their habitat in jeopardy," Estrin added.
Jared Margolis, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement that the Trump administration "flagrantly violated bedrock environmental laws when it reissued the Nationwide Permits, without regard for the people, places, or wildlife that are affected by this deeply flawed program."
"I'm hoping President Biden will prevent the Corps from continuing to use the permits to rubber-stamp major projects like oil pipelines that leak and spill, degrading the clean water that people and wildlife need."
--Jared Margolis,
Center for Biological Diversity
"I'm hoping President Biden will prevent the Corps from continuing to use the permits to rubber-stamp major projects like oil pipelines that leak and spill, degrading the clean water that people and wildlife need," added Margolis.
On his first day in office, Biden issued an executive order revoking Keystone XL's permit and calling for a review of the 15 others.
"While the groups are hopeful that this process will result in important changes to the program, if the Corps continues to ignore its duty to properly account for the harm Nationwide Permit activities pose to species, then litigation may be necessary," the coalition said in its statement.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
environmentcenter for biological diversitywaterkeeper alliancebiodiversitysierra clubkeystone xlcenter for food safetytrumpismfossil fuelsendangered species actnatural resources defense counciljoe biden
A coalition of environmental advocacy groups on Monday threatened to sue the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for failing to ensure that Trump-era development permits "will not jeopardize endangered species and critical habitat across the country."
"It's long past time for the Corps to rethink its approach to dredge-and-fill permitting and to ensure that these activities will not put endangered species or their habitat in jeopardy."
--Daniel E. Estrin,
Waterkeeper Alliance
The Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Food Safety, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Waterkeeper Alliance, and other groups filed their formal notice (pdf) to the Biden administration regarding Nationwide Permits reissued during the final days of Donald Trump's presidency.
At issue are 16 permits that, according to the Center for Biological Diversity, "will allow hundreds of thousands of discharges of dredged or fill material into the nation's waters and wetlands from oil and gas development, pipeline and transmission-line construction, and coal mining."
"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service have previously found that these activities--which are approved with little or no environmental review--threaten iconic species including whooping cranes, Florida manatees, and the hundreds of migratory birds that need wetlands to survive," the center said.
Last May, a federal judge ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated the Endangered Species Act when it issued Nationwide Permit 12, which allows companies to construct energy projects--including the highly controversial Keystone XL pipeline--at water crossings.
"Rather than comply with a court order to ensure that endangered species are protected from further death and destruction, the Trump administration doubled down on its original violation by issuing even weaker Nationwide Permits with fewer protections for these species," Daniel E. Estrin, general counsel for Waterkeeper Alliance, said in a statement.
"It's long past time for the Corps to rethink its approach to dredge-and-fill permitting and to ensure that these activities will not put endangered species or their habitat in jeopardy," Estrin added.
Jared Margolis, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement that the Trump administration "flagrantly violated bedrock environmental laws when it reissued the Nationwide Permits, without regard for the people, places, or wildlife that are affected by this deeply flawed program."
"I'm hoping President Biden will prevent the Corps from continuing to use the permits to rubber-stamp major projects like oil pipelines that leak and spill, degrading the clean water that people and wildlife need."
--Jared Margolis,
Center for Biological Diversity
"I'm hoping President Biden will prevent the Corps from continuing to use the permits to rubber-stamp major projects like oil pipelines that leak and spill, degrading the clean water that people and wildlife need," added Margolis.
On his first day in office, Biden issued an executive order revoking Keystone XL's permit and calling for a review of the 15 others.
"While the groups are hopeful that this process will result in important changes to the program, if the Corps continues to ignore its duty to properly account for the harm Nationwide Permit activities pose to species, then litigation may be necessary," the coalition said in its statement.
A coalition of environmental advocacy groups on Monday threatened to sue the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for failing to ensure that Trump-era development permits "will not jeopardize endangered species and critical habitat across the country."
"It's long past time for the Corps to rethink its approach to dredge-and-fill permitting and to ensure that these activities will not put endangered species or their habitat in jeopardy."
--Daniel E. Estrin,
Waterkeeper Alliance
The Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Food Safety, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Waterkeeper Alliance, and other groups filed their formal notice (pdf) to the Biden administration regarding Nationwide Permits reissued during the final days of Donald Trump's presidency.
At issue are 16 permits that, according to the Center for Biological Diversity, "will allow hundreds of thousands of discharges of dredged or fill material into the nation's waters and wetlands from oil and gas development, pipeline and transmission-line construction, and coal mining."
"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service have previously found that these activities--which are approved with little or no environmental review--threaten iconic species including whooping cranes, Florida manatees, and the hundreds of migratory birds that need wetlands to survive," the center said.
Last May, a federal judge ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated the Endangered Species Act when it issued Nationwide Permit 12, which allows companies to construct energy projects--including the highly controversial Keystone XL pipeline--at water crossings.
"Rather than comply with a court order to ensure that endangered species are protected from further death and destruction, the Trump administration doubled down on its original violation by issuing even weaker Nationwide Permits with fewer protections for these species," Daniel E. Estrin, general counsel for Waterkeeper Alliance, said in a statement.
"It's long past time for the Corps to rethink its approach to dredge-and-fill permitting and to ensure that these activities will not put endangered species or their habitat in jeopardy," Estrin added.
Jared Margolis, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement that the Trump administration "flagrantly violated bedrock environmental laws when it reissued the Nationwide Permits, without regard for the people, places, or wildlife that are affected by this deeply flawed program."
"I'm hoping President Biden will prevent the Corps from continuing to use the permits to rubber-stamp major projects like oil pipelines that leak and spill, degrading the clean water that people and wildlife need."
--Jared Margolis,
Center for Biological Diversity
"I'm hoping President Biden will prevent the Corps from continuing to use the permits to rubber-stamp major projects like oil pipelines that leak and spill, degrading the clean water that people and wildlife need," added Margolis.
On his first day in office, Biden issued an executive order revoking Keystone XL's permit and calling for a review of the 15 others.
"While the groups are hopeful that this process will result in important changes to the program, if the Corps continues to ignore its duty to properly account for the harm Nationwide Permit activities pose to species, then litigation may be necessary," the coalition said in its statement.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy