CLC coauthors report on threats to survival of endangered Costa Rican Great Green Macaw

This report, requested by the Macaw Recovery Network (MRN), details the ways in which the rapidly growing pineapple industry in Costa Rica threatens the survival of the Great Green Macaw, an already endangered species. It specifically examines the impacts of the pineapple industry on the environment, labor rights, and public health. It also provides overviews of several initiatives aimed at amending the pineapple industry and offers suggestions for enhancing Great Green Macaw conservation efforts. Finally, the report outlines potential next steps for continued research that may be helpful to MRN’s conservation efforts.

Indiana Environmental Law and Climate Change Adaptation

Climate change is already causing changes now, right here in the state of Indiana. This year’s spring was one of the five wettest in the state’s history, and wet springs and intense rainfall events will only get more common in the future. Indiana summers will come to resemble either present-day Missouri or Texas by late century, and our winters will be like those now seen in the Mid-Atlantic.

Did you see us at PIELC?

Last week, Sr. Attorney Jeff Hyman presented two panels at the Public Interest and Environmental Law Conference in Oregon. One panel on the Public Trust Doctrine and the other about the Endangered Species Act.

Still Hanging On: The Endangered Indiana Bat

Jeff Hyman, Bill Weeks, and CLC are embarking on our second year arguing tor sufficient protection of the Endangered Indiana Bat from Wind Turbines. This article sums up our research and describes a possible solution to reduce the impact of increased wind energy on the Indiana Bat and other bat and bird species.

Protecting the Endangered Indiana Bat

We are arguing in court that the endangered Indiana bat deserves more protection than it is getting in the process for approving wind energy installations. We came across a study that concluded that the protections we would like to see implemented will cost about 1 percent of the power the wind turbines can generate. Wind turbines produce relatively little power from gentle breezes. Bats, on the other hand, avoid flying when the wind blows at the speed it takes to generate wind power efficiently.

Endangered SpeciesCLC AdminNovember 17, 2014Indiana Bat, Wind Energy, Endangered Species Act, NEPA, ESAComment

CLC Amicus Brief Filed in the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Florida Panther Case

The CLC recently submitted an amicus curiae brief for the consideration of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Conservancy of Southwest Florida v. United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The case involves the petition of a group of environmental organizations requesting the USFWS to designate critical habitat for the federally endangered Florida panther.

Great Plains Wind Corridor Comments

The CLC, in collaboration with American Bird Conservancy (ABC), recently submitted comments on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's initial plan to fast-track wind energy projects within a 200-mile-wide corridor through the Great Plains from Canada to the Texas coast. The corridor roughly follows the migratory path of the federally endangered Whooping Crane.