SACRAMENTO, Calif. February 22, 2023 — Environmental and public health groups have filed a legal challenge seeking to close the California Department of Pesticide Regulation’s loophole allowing crop seeds treated with pesticides to avoid regulation as pesticides. Nationwide, treated seeds are a major source of pesticide contamination of soil, water and ecosystems. This includes contamination from neonicotinoid insecticides, […]
Center for Biological Diversity
Posted inUS
U.S. Border Wall Endangers Mexican World Heritage Site
PARIS, February 16, 2023 — The Center for Biological Diversity called for “in danger” status today for a Mexican World Heritage site harmed by the U.S. border wall. The controversial U.S. wall cuts the world’s largest swath of protected desert habitat in two, walling off critical habitat connectivity. Today’s letter urges the UNESCO World Heritage Committee to […]
Posted inCalifornia
New Joshua Tree Bill Spurs California Commission to Delay Decision on Protecting Iconic Plants
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to postpone a decision on whether to permanently protect western Joshua trees under the California Endangered Species Act. The commission agreed to wait to see whether a new bill proposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration becomes law. Western Joshua trees will stay protected under California’s endangered species […]
Posted inEnviro
Celebrating 50 Years of Endangered Species Act Success
WASHINGTON, February 2, 2023 — Conservation and wildlife advocacy groups are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Endangered Species Act this year, commemorating five decades of effective and crucial protection for imperiled animals and plants. Passed nearly unanimously by Congress and signed into law by Richard Nixon on Dec. 28, 1973, the […]
Posted inCalifornia
Petition Seeks Sea Otter Reintroduction Along Broader West Coast
WASHINGTON, January 20, 2023 — The Center for Biological Diversity submitted a petition asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reintroduce sea otters to a large stretch of the West Coast. Threatened southern sea otters occupy only 13% of their historic range, and a small population of the animals currently lives on California’s central coast. “Bringing the sea […]
Posted inEnviro
Reindeer Population Wins Endangered Species Protection in Time for Holidays
WASHINGTON, December 12, 2022— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service protected the Dolphin and Union caribou today as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. This specific population of barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) — also known as reindeer — inhabits the Arctic regions of Canada’s northern territories. The endangered listing restricts trade in Dolphin and Union caribou […]
Posted inCalifornia
$60K Awarded to Students Focused on Protecting Southern California’s Signature River
VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. – The Utom Conservation Fund, a group of cultural and environmental organizations, has awarded $60,000 in scholarships and fellowships to students dedicated to the conservation of the Santa Clara River, also known as Utom. Five undergraduate students received scholarships of $2,000 each and four graduate students received fellowships of $12,500 each to further their […]
Posted inCalifornia
California Regulators Urged to Ban Herbicide Linked to Parkinson’s Disease
OAKLAND, Calif. Nov. 4, 2022— Conservation and public health groups today called on the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to reevaluate approval of the herbicide paraquat and ban its use in the state. Banned in 58 countries, paraquat is one of the most lethal herbicides still approved for use in the United States and has been linked to Parkinson’s disease. […]
Posted inCalifornia
California Senate passes Safe Roads Bill, putting statewide wildlife connectivity within reach
SACRAMENTO, Calif. August 30, 2022 — The California Senate passed the Safe Roads and Wildlife Protection Act on Monday in a 35-0 vote, paving the way for more wildlife crossings across the state’s roadway system. Assembly Bill 2344 now awaits approval from the governor after a concurrence vote in the Assembly, which it passed in May. “California lawmakers agree that […]
Posted inUS
Manchin Poison Pills Buried in Inflation Reduction Act Will Destroy Livable Climate
WASHINGTON, July 28, 2022 — A proposed climate and energy package would require massive oil and gas leasing in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska, reinstate an illegal 2021 Gulf lease sale and mandate that millions more acres of public lands be offered for leasing before any new solar or wind energy projects could be […]
Posted inCalifornia
Lawsuit Launched to Fight EPA’s Delay in Smog Reduction in San Diego, Placer County, Ventura County, Colorado, North Dakota, Pennsylvania
OAKLAND, Calif. July 5, 2022— The Center for Biological Diversity and Center for Environmental Health filed a notice today of their intent to sue the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to ensure that effective smog-reduction plans are in place in four states. The areas cited in the notice include Colorado, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and three areas of California: […]
Posted inCalifornia
Southern California Fish Move Closer to Endangered Species Act Protection
LOS ANGELES, May 31, 2022 — In response to a lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed today to dates by which it will make decisions on whether Santa Ana speckled dace and Long Valley speckled dace warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act. “I’m relieved to see these […]
Posted inEnviro
Legal Agreement Forces EPA to Assess Toxicity of Plastics
WASHINGTON, May 3, 2022 — The Environmental Protection Agency will analyze the toxic effects of polyvinyl chloride, commonly referred to as “PVC” or “vinyl”, as the result of a legal agreement reached today with the Center for Biological Diversity. PVC is one of the most widely used forms of plastic, and about 7 billion pounds of PVC […]
Posted inUS
Biden Launches Process for Protecting Mature, Old-Growth Forests on Federal Lands
SEATTLE, April 22, 2022— President Joe Biden will issue an executive order today that directs federal agencies to conduct an inventory of mature and old-growth forests on America’s federal lands so that policies can be adopted to protect them. The administration framed the move as a key strategy to store carbon and address climate change. […]
Posted inLife
New Dungeons & Dragons Book to Support Endangered Species Protection
PORTLAND, Ore.— The Center for Biological Diversity is partnering with Mage Hand Press and creator Lucas Zellers to resurrect the histories of extinct animals in a surprising new way: through the popular role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. A newly launched project called The Book of Extinction tells the stranger-than-fiction true stories of animals now lost, alongside game statistics […]
Posted inEnviro
140 Groups Call for Major Reforms at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Restore Scientific Integrity
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity and 139 other organizations sent a letter today urging U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams to take immediate action to reform the agency’s process for listing imperiled species as threatened or endangered. The agency’s process for protecting species involves multiple layers of bureaucracy and upwards of 20 people who […]
Posted inEnviro
400,000 Native Animals Killed by Federal Program Last Year, New Data Shows
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services reported killing 404,538 native animals in 2021, according to new data released by the program today. The federal wildlife-killing program targets wolves, coyotes, cougars, birds and other wild animals, primarily to benefit the agriculture industry in states like Texas, Colorado and Idaho. According to the report, the multimillion-dollar program last year killed […]
Posted inUS
Progressive Caucus Urges Biden to Declare Climate Emergency, Stop New Fossil Fuel Extraction, Turbocharge Renewables
WASHINGTON, March 17, 2022— The Congressional Progressive Caucus called on President Biden today to declare a climate emergency, ban federal fossil fuel leasing and extraction, and build distributed renewable energy systems under the Defense Production Act. The lawmakers also urged Biden to issue executive orders to advance environmental justice and make clean air and water accessible for all. “There’s […]
Posted inEnviro
Omnibus Budget Ignores Climate Emergency, Extinction Crisis
WASHINGTON, March 9, 2022 — The Democratic-controlled Congress today released the final appropriations bill to fund fiscal year 2022, which began five months earlier. Because of inflation, the bill’s modest increases to agency budgets are in fact a cut in real dollars from the previous year. The Environmental Protection Agency received an increase of just 3% — […]
Posted inEnviro
Lawsuit Aims to Protect Threatened Lynx, Bats From Massive Copper Mine in Superior National Forest in Minnesota
DULUTH, Minn. January 25, 2022— Conservation groups sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers today, saying their approval of the PolyMet open-pit copper mine and land exchange in the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota violates the Endangered Species Act. The 528-acre open-pit mine would destroy important habitat for […]