Climate Guardian at WildEarth Guardians, based in Denver. Working to keep coal in the ground and transition the United States to a more sustainable energy economy.
JD/LL.M., University of Denver Sturm College of Law, 2016
B.A., Indiana University, 2009
shughes@wildearthguardians.org
This weekend, I ventured to the Jim Bridger Coal Mine and Generating Station outside of Rock Springs, Wyoming. The Jim Bridger mine has been a consistent target recently: In 2016, we overturned the expansion of the mine (PacifiCorp had requested a 120-acre lease that would add 738,000 tons […]
2017 was one of the most fatal years for coal miners; a shocking increase after a record low in coal miner deaths the year prior. There were fatalities across the United States, from Alabama, West Virginia, Montana, Kentucky, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. None of the fatalities were from unexpected […]
Trump and Zinke have been working extra hard to make good on Trump’s promise to bring coal back, as evident in the recent desperate attempt to save a failing mining company, Westmoreland Coal. On the table is a proposal by Westmoreland Coal to expand its Rosebud Coal Mine […]
WildEarth Guardians’ push for absolute government transparency under the Trump Administration has been in high gear over the last year, with the last month especially intense as we filed records requests with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management every single day. Underpinning our transparency campaign is the U.S. […]
While utility company PacifiCorp is hatching plans for more coal mining and more burning in the American West, WildEarth Guardians is stepping up to defend the climate and clean energy and put these plans to rest. If you recall, Portland, OR-based PacifiCorp owns and operates more coal-fired power […]
While our nation continues to move away from costly and dirty coal, this reality unfortunately hasn’t stopped President Trump and his Interior Secretary, Ryan Zinke, from sinking to ever more corrupt lows in an attempt to use our federal government to subsidize the dying industry. Their latest plans call […]
While this blog is dedicated to detailing WildEarth Guardians’ efforts to confront climate change in the American West, the reality is, saving our environment is inextricably linked to advancing tolerance, defending equality, and empowering social justice. Whether it’s the fact that climate change and environmental destruction disproportionately affect […]
