Articles

Environmental extremists dismiss property rights

November 25, 2016 | By JONATHAN WOOD

Over on the Huffington Post, Noah Greenwald of the Center for Biological Diversity launches an over-the-top broadside against several people involved in the incoming President’s administration. The part that is most illuminating about how some extremists think is this missive directed at the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Myron Ebel ...

Articles

PLF petition challenges illegal Endangered Species Act regulation

March 15, 2016 | By JONATHAN WOOD

Today, PLF submitted a petition with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, challenging a regulation that illegally extends the Endangered Species Act’s burdensome take prohibition to all threatened species. The petition argues that federal bureaucrats have no authority to reverse Congress’ judgment that the stringent take prohibition sh ...

Articles

PLF victory! Feds finally act on manatee petition

January 07, 2016 | By CHRISTINA MARTIN

It’s taken eight years and two lawsuits to get the government to follow up on its own experts’ recommendation to reclassify the manatee from “endangered” to “threatened.” Today, in response to a PLF Atlantic Center lawsuit on behalf of Save Crystal River, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it is fo ...

Articles

Spurring the Fish and Wildlife Service into action

September 10, 2013 | By BRIAN HODGES

Good news for fans of smarter environmental regulation: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined this week that delisting or downlisting five southwestern plant and animal species from the endangered species list may be warranted, as a result of a petition from PLF.  In fact, the Service has been recommending reclassification of those species ...

Articles

Feds to issue six ESA findings

August 12, 2013 | By BRIAN HODGES

As a result of a PLF lawsuit that wrapped up last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will soon begin to issue findings to determine if six species should be delisted or downlisted under the Endangered Species Act.  PLF attorneys, representing agriculture organizations in California and Oregon, filed a petition in 2011 to reclassify … ...

Articles

American Mines to ask U.S. Supreme Court to settle NEPA standing dispute

January 02, 2013 | By CHRISTINA MARTIN

American Mines has relied on backcountry roads within Payette National Forest for its mining operation for decades. In 2005, the Forest Service created a new rule that required every national forest to designate roads open to motor vehicles, creating a presumption that roads were now closed unless explicitly designated otherwise. When the Forest Se ...

Articles

PLF petitions for reclassification of five southwestern species

July 18, 2012 | By BRIAN HODGES

PLF, along with several agricultural organizations based in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, recently filed this petition urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reclassify five species under the Endangered Species Act.  Specifically, we are asking the Service to “delist” the gypsum wild-buckwheat, a plant that is currently listed ...

Articles

PLF petition to reclassify six species under ESA worthy of full review

June 01, 2012 | By BRIAN HODGES

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that, on Monday, it will publish an “initial finding” on our petition to delist and/or downlist six ESA-listed species in California and Oregon.  Last December, PLF and several agricultural organizations filed a petition seeking to remove the Inyo California towhee from the list of thr ...

Articles

Straight Talk on the Smelt

August 06, 2009 | By PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION

PLF attorney Damien M. Schiff will be appearing on Libertarian Counterpoint tonight, 8/6, at 8:00 PM and again next Thursday, 8/13, at 8:00 PM. On the 8/13 show he will be discussing the Delta smelt case.  These shows stream live at www.accesssacramento.org, click on channel 17.  Replays are at noon on 8/7 and 8/14 and … ...