News

VICTORY! Court orders suction dredge miner to pay hefty fine
September 30, 2022

VICTORY! Court orders suction dredge miner to pay hefty fine

Advocates for the West is celebrating another sound victory for the protection of Idaho’s South Fork of the Clearwater River. The South Fork of the Clearwater is a State Protected River and provides critical habitat for salmon, steelhead, bull trout, and other sensitive species. This week, federal Magistrate Judge Raymond Patricco levied a $150,000 fine […]

Safeguarding air quality, water, wildlife from massive Wyoming fracking project
September 8, 2022

Safeguarding air quality, water, wildlife from massive Wyoming fracking project

This week, Advocates for the West filed a lawsuit challenging the Converse County Oil & Gas Project in the southern Powder River Basin of Wyoming. The massive 5,000 oil well project, approved under the Trump Bureau of Land Management, is projected to have a major impact on air quality locally and regionally, including in treasured landscapes of […]

Defending scenic, historic values at Idaho’s Redfish Lake
September 1, 2022

Defending scenic, historic values at Idaho’s Redfish Lake

Today, Advocates for the West filed a Petition for Environmental Review with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to protect scenic and historic values from a proposed 195-foot commercial cell tower on a ridge overlooking Idaho’s iconic Red Fish Lake. We filed the petition on behalf of the Sawtooth Interpretive & Historical Association and the Idaho […]

VICTORY! Bureau of Land Management to Reconsider Grazing at San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area in Arizona
August 3, 2022

VICTORY! Bureau of Land Management to Reconsider Grazing at San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area in Arizona

This week, Advocates for the West filed a settlement agreement sending the Bureau of Land Management back to its planning desk to reconsider the impacts of livestock grazing on the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (NCA)—a free-flowing river oasis in southeastern Arizona. The court-approved settlement compels the Bureau to reconsider the compatibility of grazing […]

Safeguarding air quality from proposed Stibnite mine in Idaho
July 26, 2022

Safeguarding air quality from proposed Stibnite mine in Idaho

Advocates for the West recently appealed an air quality permit issued by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to Perpetua Resources Idaho, Inc. for its proposed Stibnite Gold Project east of McCall, Idaho. Advocates for the West represents the Nez Perce Tribe and Idaho Conservation League in this appeal, which was filed together with Save the South Fork Salmon. […]

Protecting Idaho’s scenic Sawtooths from obstruction by commercial cell tower
July 20, 2022

Protecting Idaho’s scenic Sawtooths from obstruction by commercial cell tower

Advocates for the West and our partners will be demanding opportunity for public comment and detailed environmental review from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) after learning that a controversial proposal to build a new 195-foot cell tower on state-owned lands on a ridge overlooking Idaho’s iconic Redfish Lake appears to be moving forward. The cell […]

VICTORY! Court Settlement Protects Native Carnivores in Idaho
June 30, 2022

VICTORY! Court Settlement Protects Native Carnivores in Idaho

Yesterday, a U.S. District Court judge approved a settlement agreement filed by Advocates for the West and Western Watersheds Project that will help protect Idaho’s native carnivores through a number of measures. The agreement between conservation groups and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management […]

VICTORY! Massive logging projects halted on Idaho’s Salmon-Clearwater Divide
June 27, 2022

VICTORY! Massive logging projects halted on Idaho’s Salmon-Clearwater Divide

Advocates for the West won a significant victory in our case for Friends of the Clearwater when a federal District Court issued a ruling halting the “End of the World” and “Hungry Ridge” logging projects on the Salmon-Clearwater Divide in Idaho. In its ruling, the Court faulted the U.S. Forest Service for failing to protect […]

Defending Salmon and Steelhead from BPA Disregard
June 21, 2022

Defending Salmon and Steelhead from BPA Disregard

Advocates for the West recently filed a petition for review under the Northwest Power Act, challenging Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) for violating the requirement of “equitable treatment” for fish and wildlife. The petition filed in the Ninth Circuit urges the Court to review BPA’s 2021 rate decision which further threatens already declining salmon and steelhead populations and […]

Protecting Native Pollinators, Sage-grouse from Pesticide Spraying
May 31, 2022

Protecting Native Pollinators, Sage-grouse from Pesticide Spraying

Advocates for the West filed a lawsuit challenging the federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) over its program allowing pesticide spraying on millions of acres in 17 western states. APHIS, a highly secretive agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, oversees and funds the application of multiple pesticides on rangelands to prevent native […]