Advocates for the West is pleased to provide learning experiences for future environmental leaders through ongoing internship, externship, and clerkship opportunities. We spoke with Meridian Wappett, former Advocates for the West extern and current University of Montana law student, about her passion for, and connection to, the West. Advocates for the West: Will you please […]
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that professional gold miner Shannon Poe violated the federal Clean Water Act when he dumped suction dredge mining waste into the South Fork of the Clearwater River without a required pollution permit. The South Fork of the Clearwater is a State Protected River and provides […]
We’re joined by author Steven Hawley for a conversation about his book Cracked: The Future of Dams in a Hot, Chaotic World and the mess made by America’s dam-building binge of the 20th century. Hawley is writer and co-producer of the award-winning documentary, “Dammed to Extinction,” and the author of Recovering a Lost River. In […]
The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) today finalized its decision on how to distribute more than $500 million in surplus revenues gathered from power sales in 2022. The decision affirms the agency’s proposal to spend only 10% ($50 million) of these revenues on fish and wildlife projects. Most of the revenues (70%) will be returned to […]
Advocates for the West recently filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) suit against the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to compel the agency to produce certain records as required by law. The records concern BPA’s relationship with Canadian research company Kintama Research Services. Over the last decade, BPA has funded Kintama’s research, including studies on the […]
By Nicola Myers Washington State Governor Jay Inslee and Senator Patty Murray recently released their draft report on replacing services provided by the Lower Snake River Dams. The public is welcome to provide feedback on the report through July 11, 2022 at 5pm PST. A final report will be published later this summer. The report […]
Last June, we won a resounding court victory in our case for Idaho Conservation League against high-profile California suction dredge miner Shannon Poe. There, the Court ruled that Poe violated the Clean Water Act when he polluted Idaho’s South Fork of the Clearwater River without a required permit. Now, in the next stage of the […]
EPA Finally Releases Plan to Protect Wild Salmon in Columbia and Snake Rivers In response to our recent Ninth Circuit Court win, this week the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finally released its much-anticipated plan (called a Total Maximum Daily Load or TMDL) to control heat pollution in the Columbia and Snake rivers. EPA’s plan is further evidence that removing the […]
Southern Resident Killer Whales are on the brink of extinction. Idaho’s sockeye salmon are on life support. The Clearwater River’s once famous wild B-run steelhead population is in a state of collapse. These are data-based facts, and anyone who denies them is ill informed, unable to accept reality, or running for re-election to Congress in […]
Advocates for the West warned federal water managers of our intent to sue to protect threatened Upper Willamette River Chinook and steelhead from harm caused by numerous dams throughout the Upper Willamette River basin in Oregon. On Thursday, our Portland office sent a notice of intent to sue to the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) on behalf […]