WE WORK WONDERS for NATURAL WONDERS
When an environmental plight calls for lean and hard-hitting legal muscle, conservation groups, Native American Tribes, and concerned citizens call on us. Advocates for the West boosts the strength of our partners by providing free legal representation in federal court—advancing the mission of every client by putting the power of law and science on the side of the West.
Since our founding in 2003, Advocates for the West has provided free legal support to our partners with an 85% record of success.
Smart and efficient, our attorneys work with partners to develop strategic cases aimed at enforcing the nation’s bedrock environmental laws. We handle an extensive caseload with an impressive win record.
We work wonders to perpetuate natural wonders. We win for the West.
CuMo Mine Exploration Follow-Up
Case: Idaho Conservation League and Golden Eagle Audubon Society v. U.S. Forest Service
June 25, 2025 – Advocates for the West and Idaho conservation groups filed suit against the U.S. Forest Service for its approval of a mine exploration project on public lands in the headwaters of the Boise River. The CuMo Mine Exploration Project threatens critical clean water, fish and wildlife habitat, and the rare plant Sacajawea’s bitterroot. Despite…
NEXT Refinery Clean Water Act Section 401 Certification
Case: Columbia Riverkeeper, Northwest Environmental Defense Center, Wendy Schmidt, and Haley Voekel vs. Oregon Department of Water Quality
May 22, 2025 — Advocates for the West filed suit against the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for issuing a water quality permit for the proposed NEXT refinery located adjacent to the Columbia River Estuary near Clatskanie, OR. If built, the non-conventional diesel refinery would fill over 100 acres of wetlands and discharge harmful…
Point Reyes Settlement Legal Attacks
Case: Nicolette Hahn Niman, William Niman, David Evans, and Claire Herminjard v. United States Deparment of the Interior, et al.
May 16, 2025 — Advocates for the West filed a motion to intervene and supporting declarations in a case brought by members of the Niman family and others against the National Park Service challenging the agency’s 2025 Revised Record of Decision (ROD) for the general management plan amendment at northern California’s Point Reyes National Seashore. The…
Eugene Water and Electric Board Endangered Species Act Violations
Case: Cascadia Wildlands, Willamette Riverkeeper, Oregon Wild, and Native Fish Society v. Eugene Water and Electric Board
June 30, 2025 — Advocates for the West presented oral argument in support of our motion for preliminary injunction, while our partners at Public Justice argued against EWEB’s motion to dismiss. May 16, 2025 — Advocates for the West filed a motion for preliminary injunction and memorandum in support. We’re seeking an order from the…
Stibnite Gold Project Approval
Case: Save the South Fork Salmon, Idaho Conservation League, Idaho Rivers United, Earthworks, Center for Biological Diversity, and American Rivers v. U.S. Forest Service, et al.
February 18, 2025 — Advocates for the West and our partners sued the U.S. Forest Service for its approval of the Stibnite Gold Project, an open-pit cyanide leach gold mine in Idaho’s Salmon River Mountains that would jeopardize public health and clean water, harm threatened species, and permanently scar thousands of acres of public land…
State and Industry Challenges to Public Lands Rule
Case: States of Utah and Wyoming v. Deb Haaland, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Conservation Lands Foundation, and The Wilderness Society
October 1, 2024 — Advocates for the West and our partners at Conservation Lands Foundation, The Wilderness Society, and Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance filed a motion to intervene to defend BLM’s Public Lands Rule against yet another lawsuit brought this past summer by the American Farm Bureau and other industry trade associations representing the oil…
Antelope Allotment: FOIA Records Request
Case: Western Watersheds Project vs. U.S. Forest Service
October 15, 2024 — Advocates for the West favorably settled this case. June 20, 2024 — Advocates for the West filed suit under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to compel the U.S. Forest Service to release public records as required by law. The case involves two separate FOIA requests sent to the Forest Service regarding…
Stibnite Mine Clean Water Act Section 401 Certification
Case: Idaho Conservation League, Idaho Rivers United, Save the South Fork Salmon, and Earthworks v. Idaho Department of Environmental Quality
March 25, 2025 — In response to our appeal of a water quality permit issued for the proposed Stibnite Gold Mine due to its inadequacy to protect water quality in the South Fork Salmon River watershed, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is seeking to revisit the permit to address multiple shortcomings. After Advocates…
Pawnee National Grassland Oil & Gas Drilling
Case: Center for Biological Diversity v. Keith E. Berger, in his official capacity as Field Manager for the U.S. Bureau of land Management's Royal Gorge Field Office, and Bureau of Land Management
June 11, 2025 — Advocates for the West filed an amended petition for review of agency action in this case. September 27, 2024 — Advocates for the West filed our response to federal defendants’ motion to dismiss. June 11, 2024 — Advocates for the West filed suit against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for…
NEXT Refinery and Railyard Rivers and Harbors Act Violation
Case: Columbia Riverkeeper and 1000 Friends of Oregon v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
June 10, 2025 — Advocates for the West presented oral argument opposing defendants’ motion to dismiss. October 19, 2024 — Advocates for the West filed our response to defendants’ motion to dismiss. May 30, 2024 — Advocates for the West filed suit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for determining that a Rivers and Harbors…
