Tag: Earthjustice
Enviro attorneys buoyed by roadless rule hearing
Environmental attorneys were encouraged by the tone of a final 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals hearing on the controversial 2001 Clinton Roadless Rule in Denver Wednesday. Representing a coalition of conservation and wildlife groups, lawyers for the firm Earthjustice are arguing for the court to reinstate rules put in place by Pres. Clinton to protect more than 58 million acres of largely roadless public lands nationwide, including more than 4 million acres in Colorado.
Udall’s Good Samaritan water-cleanup bill drawing support
U.S. Sen. Mark Udall's new streamlined Good Samaritan legislation, designed to encourage volunteer water cleanup projects, may yet become law. It is the 11th piece of Good Samaritan legislation to be introduced in Congress in the last 15 years. Udall's bill, however, is drawing more support and less opposition than the previous bills, all of which failed to gain traction on Capitol Hill.
Roan Plateau battle draws attention to Penry policy making
The New York Times featured a business section piece today on the battle here that pits Roan Plateau sporting and wildlife lovers against the...
Udall introduces new ‘Good Samaritan’ water clean-up legislation
U.S. Sen. Mark Udall announced Wednesday that he introduced "Good Samaritan" legislation that would provide legal protection for non-profit and other groups who would cleanup water contamination issuing from abandoned mines across Colorado.
‘Good Samaritan’ legal battle pits greens against greens
In the last 15 years, Washington lawmakers have introduced no fewer than 10 pieces of so-called Good Samaritan legislation-- the majority of those laws introduced by Colorado legislators. The legislation is designed to provide legal protection for groups who take it upon themselves to clean up toxic waste. In Colorado, that means cleaning up acid mine drainage.
Why has none of the legislation passed? Good Samaritan groups say the most stringent opponents include major environmental groups with Washington lobbyists.
State Rep. Bradford pushes mine development despite methane concerns
Rep. Laura Bradford, R-Collbran, has been pressuring the governor’s office and U.S. Rep. John Salazar to continue Bush Administration fast-tracking of the Red Cliff coal mine west of Grand Junction. But her lobbying ignores a couple of fairly glaring and clearly inconvenient truths.
EPA: Colorado home to high number of coal-ash disposal ponds
Colorado ranks a surprising fourth on the list of states hosting wet coal-ash dumping ponds. An Environmental Protection Agency list obtained through a Freedom...
Earthjustice: Salazar has authority to withdraw Roan Plateau leases
An attorney for Earthjustice Tuesday told the Associated Press that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar could deem nearly 55,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management...
Green groups challenge industry lawsuit against new drilling regs
After two years of at-times heated debated over new, more environmentally-friendly oil and gas drilling regulations, ratification by the State Legislature and a signature by Gov. Bill Ritter, it looked like the warring parties would finally lay down their arms when the regs went into effect April 1.
Wrong. A few weeks into the new regs, which require closer state scrutiny of drilling practices that might impact air and water quality and wildlife habitat, the Colorado Oil & Gas Association filed a lawsuit against the state Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which drafted the new rules.