We're Suing to Halt Trump's Approval of Arctic Drilling

The last thing polar bears and the warming Arctic need is dangerous offshore drilling. But that's what the Trump administration wants to push through by approving Hilcorp Alaska's so-called "Liberty" project in the heart of polar bear habitat.

Liberty would bring an artificial island and risky underwater pipeline to the sensitive Beaufort Sea, putting bears and communities at risk.

So this week the Center for Biological Diversity and allies sued to stop it.

"Liberty is a bad step down a dangerous path," said the Center's Kristen Monsell. "An oil spill in the Arctic would be impossible to clean up in a region already stressed by climate change."

Read more and consider donating to our Endangered Species Act Protection Fund.

Zinke's Departure Can't Come Soon Enough

News broke over the weekend that embattled Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke will resign by the end of the year. Zinke leaves under a cloud of internal ethics investigations and a criminal probe, plus a slew of policies devastating for public lands, endangered species, and clean air and water.

"Zinke will go down as the worst Interior secretary in history," said Kierán Suckling, executive director of the Center. "His slash-and-burn approach was absolutely destructive for public lands and wildlife. Allowing David Bernhardt to continue to call the shots will be just as ugly. Different people, same appetite for greed and profit."

Read more in USA TODAY and learn about Bernhardt, Interior's deputy director, who has his own troubling history.

Suit Launched to Save Starving West Coast Orcas

On Tuesday the Center launched a lawsuit against Trump's National Marine Fisheries Service for mismanaging West Coast salmon fisheries. This has been hurting desperately endangered Southern Resident killer whales.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee last week unveiled a $1.1 billion plan to protect the orcas, including a temporary suspension of whale-watching boats. Reducing noise and disturbance is needed, but the whales will go extinct anyway if we don't swiftly restore their wild salmon prey.

"We can't allow business as usual in the salmon fisheries while Southern Resident killer whales are starving to death," said Julie Teel Simmonds, a Center attorney. "Time's running out."

Learn more about the governor's plan and our legal action.

New Year's Resolution for Your Mayor: Cut Carbon Footprint

Our oversized carbon footprint in the United States is contributing to the global climate crisis. We're burning fossil fuels and bulldozing wild spaces, and the Earth can't keep up. We see this in increasingly destructive storms, shrinking habitat and crashes in wildlife populations.

Researchers analyzed cities around the world for their carbon footprints per capita. And the top 10 biggest emitters in the United States were New Orleans, Detroit, Cleveland, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Toledo, Kansas City, Grand Rapids, Cincinnati and Tulsa.

Not happy about your city being on the list?

Act now to urge your mayor to commit to New Year's resolutions that would make it easier for people to reduce their footprints.

Airbase Construction Starts in Dugong Habitat

Construction of a new U.S. airbase off Okinawa, Japan, is imminent. In January the Center and allies will begin briefing in our court case to save the area's unique, manatee-like dugongs. Okinawa dugongs are among the planet's most endangered marine mammals.

As tons of dirt are dumped into Henoko Bay — destroying habitat crucial to the last few dugongs — the U.S. Department of Defense's base plan will face our legal challenge under the National Historic Preservation Act. This law protects other countries' cultural treasures: To Okinawans, dugongs are iconic.

"We'll never stop fighting to protect Okinawa dugongs from extinction," said Peter Galvin, a Center cofounder. "Wiping out these gentle, culturally important animals would forever stain America's international reputation."

Read our press release.

Wild & Weird: Wildlife Crossing Under Florida Highways

Wildlife crossings are a great tool for fighting habitat fragmentation and a win-win for protecting animals and drivers from grisly collisions.

Check out our video of panthers, gators and other critters using wildlife crossings in the Sunshine State on Facebook or YouTube.