Earthjustice

06/13/2026

Research shows that wildfires are four times more likely to start near roads than in roadless forests. But that isn't stopping Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) from attempting to gut the Roadless Rule by adding an amendment to the Wildfire Prevention Act.​

We cannot allow Congress to sell our public lands to extractive industries. The bill now heads to the full Senate where it will require 60 votes for passage.

06/12/2026

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) tried to abuse the Congressional Review Act to fast-track his attack on Grand Staircase-Escalante, but the 60-day window that would allow a resolution to pass the Senate with only 51 votes just ended. Now, Sen. Lee needs 60 votes to bring chaos to the management of this irreplaceable monument. ​

Like all attacks on public lands, the attempt to attack Grand Staircase-Escalante is extremely unpopular. "No one except extractive industry CEOs wants these special places destroyed," said senior Earthjustice attorney Thomas Delehanty.

06/12/2026

xAI continues to add polluting turbines to their illegal gas power plant. There were 27 turbines when we filed our notice of intent to sue, 33 when we filed our lawsuit in April, and now there are 57 turbines polluting nearby communities.​
​That’s enough unpermitted turbines to power an estimated 738,000 to 950,000 homes. And enough to emit five times the amount of nitrogen oxide as the nearby Memphis International Airport, which was, until recently, the largest polluter in the area.​

​xAI, an artificial intelligence company founded by Elon Musk, built a massive power plant in Southaven, Mississippi to power an AI data center in nearby Memphis. The company fired up the gas turbines without applying for any of the required air pollution permits that would limit harmful air pollution. That’s illegal.​

​We're partnering with the Southern Environmental Law Center to represent the NAACP and fight for the people of Southaven.

06/10/2026

The Trump administration tried—and failed—to sell the Arctic Refuge off to major oil companies. ​

​Thanks to the persistence of our Alaska partners, our litigation defending the Refuge, and your advocacy, we are making a difference in this fight. But it isn’t over yet: the new leasing still threatens to damage a globally significant habitat. Earthjustice is fighting back in court.

The Trump administration tried to sell off the Arctic Wildlife Refuge to Big Oil with a lease sale on June 5.

06/08/2026

Mexico’s Gulf of California is home to one-third of the world’s marine mammals, including dolphins, sea lions, and multiple whale species that depend on its unique ecosystem. Yet two proposed gas projects would bring pollution, deafening noise, and tanker traffic that would be lethal to whales. ​

Earthjustice is partnering with Mexican environmental groups to challenge these proposals and protect the Gulf’s precious marine life.

The fossil fuel industry wants to turn the Gulf of California, home to thousands of marine species, into a gas hub. We’re partnering with environmental advocates in Mexico to stop it.

06/07/2026

The Trump administration opened the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge up to the oil and gas industry, and we are fighting back in court. ​

​On Friday, one small company and a state sponsored corporation competed with bids to lease 70K acres of the Arctic Refuge for oil and gas extraction. Every major oil company stayed away from this risky and unpopular project. ​

​The new lease sales are still a threat to wildlife, people, and our climate, and jeopardize the survival of imperiled species like polar bears. The Arctic must be protected, not exploited.

06/06/2026

A handful of lawmakers are using the Congressional Review Act (CRA) in a troubling, unprecedented attempt to clear the way for mining and fossil fuel development.​

​Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is under threat right now. Tell Congress to defend our public lands.

How lawmakers are clearing the way for mining and fossil fuel development across the western U.S. and Alaska.

06/05/2026

"Anyone who thinks this is a fight between red and blue is deeply mistaken. Few things unite the people of this country like their love of the land."

The Trump admin is working to rescind the Roadless Rule–which protects millions of acres of national forests–despite strong bipartisan support for our public lands.

Earthjustice is prepared to fight this.

The bipartisan Roadless Rule is under fire. It’s just one way Trump could make our public lands unrecognizable

06/05/2026

BREAKING: The latest sale of oil and gases leases in the Arctic Refuge was mostly a bust. The Trump administration opened 700K acres for bidding, but only one small company and a state sponsored corporation bid on 70K acres. Every major oil company stayed away from this deeply risky and unpopular project. ​

​Still, any amount of oil development in the Arctic Refuge is too much. We cannot let them turn a globally significant habitat into a polluted industrial zone. ​

We're already fighting back in court. The leases issued for the bids announced today are subject to our ongoing lawsuit. ​

Earthjustice has successfully defended the Refuge for decades. We aren’t stopping now.

06/04/2026

The Trump administration is opening the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas leasing.​

​At its core, this lease sale is another effort to treat America’s public lands as expendable for short-term corporate gain, while Indigenous communities, wildlife, taxpayers, and future generations carry the risk.​

​Tomorrow, the Trump administration will announce the results of the latest oil and gas lease sale in the Arctic Refuge. Earthjustice is already fighting back in court.