WildEarth Guardians

April 30, 2019

WildEarth Guardians is an eco-activist group quickly gaining prominence on the left. Unlike some that try to hide their true identities, WildEarth is transparent about what they want – the end of the energy industry as we know it and the destruction of hundreds of thousands of jobs.

When they call themselves “Wild,” they’re not kidding.

And they’re funded by you, the taxpayers.

Extreme Beliefs

WildEarth Guardians claim they want to “protect and restore the wildlife, wild places, wild rivers, and health of the American West.” In reality, they would wreck the U.S. economy if they got their way.

“Keep It In The Ground”

WildEarth Guardians are not only opposed to the energy that powers America, they view it as immoral. The group claims coal mines and fracking wells aren’t “right” and are “downright un-American.” That’s right – the hundreds of thousands of American energy workers helping us compete on the world stage are “un-American” in the eyes of WildEarth Guardians.

That’s their justification for supporting an eco-movement known as “Keep It In The Ground.” The far-left group believes fossil fuel production should cease. They want to stop it “in its tracks” and are pushing a fracking moratorium on public lands.

Fake Supporters

The WildEarth Guardians’ agenda is so extreme that they’ve resorted to making up supporters. They’ve been caught falsely listing businesses on their website as supporters. In fact, WildEarth Guardians initially listed 605 businesses as supporters. They quickly cut that down to 151, and now their business supporter list has been removed completely. It’s no surprise that businesses don’t want to be associated with an eco-extremist group.

Real Consequences

WildEarth Guardians’ extreme beliefs have caused real damage to the economies of the West, and they’re threatening to make it even worse.

Their tactics are straightforward: use the legal system as their weapon. They seek to stall energy leases, close down plants, throw people out of work, and make it harder for the West’s economy to prosper through lawsuits.

Most recently, WildEarth Guardians gained national attention for a lawsuit it launched that resulted in a judge questioning oil and gas leases on 300,000 acres of public lands in Wyoming. The lawsuit was first launched against the Obama Administration – which to WildEarth Guardians was apparently not pro-eco enough. This lawsuit threatens the livelihood of the 12,500 oil and gas workers in Wyoming, and WildEarth Guardians lauds that this suit gives them “leverage.”

When WildEarth Guardians “wins,” you lose. Unfortunately, they have many “wins” to point to.

They’ve stopped oil and gas leases in New Mexico, locked up two billion tons of coal in Wyoming, 1.8 billion tons in the Rocky Mountains, and shut down three power plants Colorado.

The Colorado plant shutdowns will cause $500 million in rate hikes on customers. The closing of just one plant alone cost 80 jobs.

In New Mexico, WildEarth Guardians are working to close a power plant and coal mine in San Juan. Experts say this could lead to the loss of nearly 1,500 good paying jobs, with salaries of $86,000. WildEarth Guardians has no qualms about laying off the on average 47-year old workers with little chance of finding a new, comparable job. The group’s efforts in New Mexico could also hurt schools. Without the San Juan plant and mine, local K-12 schools will lose$3.6 million in revenue. The state and county will also lose millions more, threatening basic government services.

If Wild Earth Guardians gets its way and keeps fossil fuels in the ground, the over 150,000 oil and gas workers and over 50,000 coal workers in America will lose their jobs. It would be devastating to families across our country.

Funded By Taxpayers

You might be surprised to learn that a group with such an extreme agenda is funded by your tax dollars, but that’s the truth. WildEarth Guardians sues the government while it takes our money.

Between 2007 and 2011, WildEarth Guardians received over $680,000 from the Fish and Wildlife Agency while they sued the agency 76 times. In 2016, they took over $359,000 from taxpayers via the US Forest Service. In 2016 and 2017, they received over $209,000 from the National Park Service.

In fact, 12.4 percent of WildEarth Guardian’s contributions came from government grants in 2017.

Taxpayers should not be funding a group that wants to wreck our economy. American workers deserve better.

Top Staff

John Horning, Executive Director

Dave Levine, Communications Director

Judi Brawer, Wild Places Program Director

Jeremy Bremser, Financial Manager

Rebecca Fischer, Climate and Energy Program Attorney

Kevin Gaither-Banchoff, Development Director

Chris Krupp, J.D., Public Lands Guardian

Sarah McMilan, J.D., Conservation Director

Jeremy Nichols, Climate And Energy Program Director

Samantha Ruscavage-Barz, Ph.D., J.D., Managing Attorney

Rebecca Sobel, Senior Climate And Energy Campaigner

Daniel Timmons, J.D., Staff Attorney