US government sued over endangered sea turtles
US government sued over endangered sea turtles
The US has failed to take urgent steps for loggerheads' survival, required by the Endangered Species Act, says the lawsuit
Reuters
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 9 January 2013 05.09 EST
Three environmental groups sued the US government on Tuesday for what they said was Washington's failure to take urgent steps to ensure the survival of endangered loggerhead turtles.
"Loggerhead sea turtles are among the most imperiled of sea turtle species and have experienced alarming declines in recent years," said the lawsuit filed in US district court for the Northern District of California.
The lawsuit said loggerheads were already being pushed to the brink of extinction and that the government had failed to comply with deadlines set under the Endangered Species Act to establish protected areas or "critical habitat" for loggerhead sea turtle populations.
The suit, brought by the Centre for Biological Diversity, Oceana Inc and Turtle Island Restoration, cited the destruction or degradation of nesting and foraging habitats, pollution including oil spills, climate change and sea level rise among other threats to the long-term survival of the marine turtles.
More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jan/09/us-government-sued-endangered-sea-turtles
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