Dec 27, 2019
“The fishermen have had the ocean all to themselves for centuries,” says Peter Shelley, senior counsel for the Conservation Law Foundation in Boston. Shelley says the lawsuit challenging the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monument, and the presidential authority that created it, failed to acknowledge other “values” such as conservation and preservation as powers granted in the Antiquities Act of 1906.
Dec 27, 2019
“Today’s decision is a clear victory for our oceans and for the Atlantic’s only marine national monument,” said Peter Shelley, Senior Counsel at CLF. “This decision upholds protections for one of the most fragile and scientifically important areas in the North Atlantic from destructive activities like oil drilling and industrial fishing. Safeguarding the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts ensures that we are leaving a proud legacy for the people of New England.”
Dec 24, 2019
Although world leaders met in Madrid this month to discuss how to lower global emissions, the gap in ambition between the negotiation rooms and the side events was stark. It highlighted how important it is to take action at the local level—for instance, passing state-level climate laws and advocating for clean energy in New England.
Dec 17, 2019
“This state agreement moves us toward much-needed regional collaboration to confront the climate crisis,” said Amy Laura Cahn, Director of CLF’s Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice program. “Urgent and bold action is necessary to tackle the scourge of carbon emissions and jumpstart clean transportation options for New Englanders. We also need more immediate solutions that improve air quality for residents in pollution hotspots.”
Dec 10, 2019
“With the ocean getting hotter and more acidic and wildlife facing extinction, the ocean must be a top issue this election season,” said Priscilla Brooks, Director of Ocean Conservation at CLF. “It’s time for bold action to confront the crisis facing our oceans.”
Nov 22, 2019
“Yet again the Trump Administration is pandering to big oil and gas at the expense of our health and our communities,” said Emily Green, CLF Senior Attorney. “As we run out of time to tackle the climate crisis, this policy moves the country in the wrong direction. It will lead directly to a dirtier, more polluted future. We cannot afford to hit reverse on these standards.”
Nov 05, 2019
In a major win for endangered North Atlantic right whales, a federal judge ruled that gillnet fishing gear must be removed from 3,000 nautical miles of ocean waters in southern New England. Opening the areas to gillnet fishing without considering harm to right whales violated the Endangered Species Act, and the gear must be removed until the required analysis is complete.
Nov 02, 2019
We’re updating our electric grid for the 21st century.
Oct 31, 2019
“After a series of devastating deaths this summer, pushing paper will not protect right whales from extinction,” said Erica Fuller, CLF Senior Attorney. “We need to use the force of the law to put this species on the path to recovery. The judge absolutely made the correct call: right whales simply can’t wait any longer for the federal government to get around to doing their job.”
Oct 31, 2019
“Expanded fishing in a right whale hot spot flies in the face of the Endangered Species Act,” said Erica Fuller, a Senior Attorney at the Conservation Law Foundation — one of the groups that brought the case. “This ruling rightfully reverses a dangerous course and will give right whales the protection they need from fishing gear. We cannot afford to lose even one more of these critically endangered creatures.”
