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| Dear Friend, |
| As long as the federal government keeps breaking the law, we will take them to court — no matter who is in office. |
| Last week, Earthjustice filed a lawsuit to stop new oil drilling on public land in California after the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approved permits for 29 new oil wells in direct violation of federal law. |
| Although these violations occurred in the final days of the Biden administration, we expect the Trump administration to double down and try to significantly expand drilling on public lands. |
| The federal government may not care that San Joaquin Valley residents already face the highest rates of asthma, heart attacks, and low birth-weight infants in California — but we do. So we’re going to court. |
| We represent our clients free of charge. That means you power our lawsuits with each donation you make. We have an ambitious goal of bringing on 2,000 monthly donors in the first month after Trump’s inauguration. Make a monthly gift today and the Sandler Foundation will match your gift $1:$1 for the next 12 months! |
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| The Bureau of Land Management blatantly disregarded multiple laws in their approval of new oil drilling sites in California. |
| Violation #1: BLM separated approvals for the 29 new oil wells into multiple smaller permits to avoid analyzing the cumulative impact of all the wells, despite the fact that all 29 were approved on the same day and most of them are in the same oil field in Kern County. |
| Violation #2: Most of the approved wells will be drilled near homes and residential areas, in violation of a California state law that prohibits drilling within 3,200 feet of sensitive locations for public health. |
| Violation #3: BLM failed to provide opportunities for public review and comment before rubber-stamping approvals, in violation of federal law. |
| The San Joaquin Valley is the most polluted air basin in the country, and oil and gas extraction is a major contributor. The dirty air has caused devastating health harms in Valley communities, which are particularly acute the closer people live and work to drilling activity. |
| Earthjustice is representing the Center for Biological Diversity, The Wilderness Society, Friends of the Earth, Sierra Club, and Central California Asthma Collaborative in this lawsuit. We are proud to represent our clients free of charge, because justice should not have a price tag. |
| Looking ahead to the next four years, we are expecting a massive increase in the need for environmental litigation. Your generosity is what gives us the resources to scale up for the fights ahead. |
| Give a monthly gift today, and it will be matched $1:$1 to double your impact for 12 months. |
| Name: Not on file |
| Monthly Gift Status: No Gift on File |
| Match Offer: $1:$1 for new monthly gifts |
| Match Goal: 2,000 new monthly donors by February 20 |
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| Thank you for your partnership. |
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Sincerely,
Michelle Ghafar
Senior Attorney
Earthjustice California Office |
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