Latest News

ELAW Bulletin Last week, ELAW partners in the Philippines rejoiced when local government officials shelved plans to allow a company to dump coal ash on beachfront property in Naga City.

The Great Barrier Reef is threatened by a coal port.

Norwegian Cruise Line is under fire.

Plans to dump coal ash on a beachfront in Naga City are shelved.

ELAW Bulletin "Ultra Mega" is the term for 12 new super-sized coal-fired power plants proposed to meet India's energy needs. Communities near Cheyyur Lagoon are concerned about plans for an Ultra Mega coal-fired power plant.

ELAW Bulletin ELAW is thrilled to learn that Abu Bakar Siddique, who was abducted April 16, 1014, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, has been returned. Abu Bakar Siddique is the husband of ELAW partner Syeda Rizwana Hasan, the winner of the 2012 Ramon Magsaysay Award and the 2009 Goldman Environmental Prize, and the leader of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA).

ELAW Press Fishing communities in Malaysia are worried about plans to build an artificial island for 12,000 homes, and a marina and yacht club off the east coast of Penang Island. ELAW Staff Scientists Mark Chernaik and Heidi Weiskel evaluated the project's environmental impact assessment (DEIA) and found it grossly underestimates the project's impact on fisheries and the environment.

ELAW Bulletin Dear friends, Mandakhaitsetsen "Manda" Urantulkhuur arrived from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, last week for a 10-week ELAW Fellowship. This is her first visit to the U.S.

ELAW Bulletin Fishing communities in Malaysia are worried about plans to build an artificial island for 12,000 homes, and a marina and yacht club off the east coast of Penang Island.

ELAW Bulletin ELAW Fellows Oksana Imetkhenova and Liubov Balandina returned to Ulan-Ude earlier this month with new tools and inspiration to protect Lake Baikal and surrounding forests.

ELAW Bulletin ELAW partner Norma Alvares of the Goa Foundation has won a tremendous victory in India. The Bombay High Court ruled that the Grand Hyatt Hotel was illegally constructed in the protected Coastal Regulation Zone, which prohibits development within 200 meters of the sea coast and 100 meters of tidal rivers.

ELAW Bulletin We were surprised and thrilled Saturday night to learn that we were receiving the 2014 David Brower Lifetime Achievement Award. The students of Land Air Water, the organizers of the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC), awarded us this high honor.

ELAW eBulletin ELAW Fellows and visitors from five continents have come together in Eugene to work with the ELAW team. Read about the inspiring work of partners from Uganda, Panama, Turkey, and Mongolia in the current Eugene Weekly.

ELAW Press ELAW Fellows and visitors from five continents have come together in Eugene to work with the ELAW team. Read about the inspiring work of partners from Uganda, Panama, Turkey, and Mongolia in the current Eugene Weekly.

Marine Protected Areas for Haiti

ELAW eBulletin
ELAW's newest Fellow, Harriet Bibangambah from Kampala, Uganda, arrived on Monday. Over the next two weeks she will work with the ELAW team to strengthen her organization, Greenwatch. She will also attend the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC) and meet ELAW partners from around the world.

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We are pleased to announce 10 years of collaboration with Defensa Ambiental del Noroeste (DAN) -- an inspiring organization of dedicated environmental leaders working to protect Mexico's Baja California. DAN attorney Maria Llano stopped by our office last week to celebrate our partnership and discuss the threat of an enormous open pit gold mine proposed for Sierra La Laguna Biosphere Reserve.

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When tourists visit Panama, they enjoy the beaches, islands, and mountain forests. ELAW Staff Scientist Heidi Weiskel was in Panama this month with a different agenda. Heidi used her marine ecologist's eye to take in what's threatening Panama's natural environment. She joined ELAW partners to tour a new highway project that has cut through Panama Bay, the site of a proposed mega-port near Colon, and the site of a gold and copper mine that threatens the Tonosi and Quema Rivers on the Azuero Peninsula.

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In Africa, corporations seeking oil, gas, gold, and timber threaten agricultural lands, waterways, and national parks. ELAW is working with local advocates to level the playing field for threatened communities.

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Attorney Baigalimaa Nyamdavaa from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, will be with us for 10 weeks. This is her first time in the United States.

ELAW Press ELAW partner Diana McCaulay at the Jamaica Environment Trust says, "The lack of transparency that has attended this important matter from the outset is nothing short of disgraceful."

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ELAW partners are speaking out for clean air, clean water, and a healthy planet. Enjoy some recent press clips featuring our partners in Tanzania, India, and Israel.

ELAW Press Tanzania's anti-poaching "Operation Tokomeza" was suspended following reports of rampant human rights abuses. ELAW partner Rugemeleza Nshala says the operation targeted "small fish." Rugemeleza says "we need to identify and stop the heavyweights behind the illicit trade."

ELAW eBulletin After four hard fought years, the National Green Tribunal has shelved a coal-fired power plant proposed for Komarada Village in Andhra Pradesh. Ritwick filed the case on behalf of Samata, a social justice organization that defends the rights of the Adivasi people in Andhra Pradesh.

ELAW Press ELAW partner Ritwick Dutta fought his first case at the age of 28 against Vedanta, representing the Dongria Kondh tribals of Niyamgiri, who wanted to stop the London-listed giant from mining bauxite.

ELAW Press The Justice Ministry unveiled a draft bill that will restructure the laws governing Israel's coastal waters. While praising the Justice Ministry's decision to issue a bill, Adam Teva V'Din (Israel Union for Environmental Defense) cited several flaws within its text that could allow for an "environmental disaster" to occur in waters that the organization describes as the "Wild West."

ELAW eBulletin The people of Ukraine are demanding democracy, and ELAW co-founder John Bonine is there to witness. John arrived in Lviv earlier this week and is now in Kyiv with ELAW partners at Environment-People-Law (EPL).

ELAW Press The people of Ukraine are demanding democracy, and ELAW co-founder John Bonine was there to witness. Read his observations in the Kyiv Post.

ELAW eBulletin Lead in paint is a potent neurological toxin. Most industrialized countries have recognized the harm caused by childhood exposure to lead and enacted strict regulations to prohibit the use of lead in consumer products, especially paints. In Tanzania, there are regulations in place but they are not enforced, and children continue being exposed to lead.

ELAW eBulletin ELAW is thrilled to be releasing a new publication, "Natural Resource Contracts: A Practical Guide," which will help grassroots advocates around the world understand these agreements and advocate for stronger environmental, social, and fiscal provisions.

ELAW eBulletin Minerva Rosette is an environmental engineer with the Southeast office of Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental (CEMDA, Mexican Center for Environmental Law). We are collaborating with Minerva to protect communities and coastlines on the Yucatán Peninsula.

ELAW Press An op-ed in The Hindu by ELAW partner Ritwick Dutta talks about the impact the National Green Tribunal is having on environmental decision-making in India. According to Ritwick, “the [National Green Tribunal] NGT has emerged as a new hope for the environmental movement in [India].” The National Green Tribunal is responsible for reviewing evidence on environmental disputes and affaires within the Indian Parliament.