More than 100,000 people spoke out in favor of Puget Sound's few remaining southern resident orcas when large agribusiness interests sought to remove endangered species protections from the orcas in order to take more water from California's salmon streams. The government sided with science and public opinion and kept the southern residents orcas protected.

A bill to double the renewable energy standard for rural utilities was passed by the Colorado legislature, but utilities and coal companies started a fierce campaign to get the governor to issue a veto. The governor was ultimately swayed by the thousands of Coloradoans who spoke out in favor of clean energy.

Earthjustice supporters have been crucial in the fight to protect forage fish, which are keystone species in the ocean ecosystem. Our focus on regional fishery management has involved extensive local organizing and outreach, improving oversight of our industrial fishing fleets. Policy changes include catch caps on river herring and shad; catch limits for Atlantic herring, mackerel, and menhaden that better account for their ecosystem role; heightened monitoring requirements for sensitive cod and haddock spawning grounds; and improved monitoring of industrial Atlantic herring and mackerel fleet trawlers.

Compelled by Earthjustice legal action and more than 75,000 letters and comments from Earthjustice activists, the EPA announced an improved soot pollution standard on Dec. 14, 2012. The new rule will save thousands of lives every year.

An obscure California regulation was causing unnecessarily high levels of toxic flame retardants in furniture. Earthjustice got involved and organized thousands of Californians in a public comment period that resulted in a much more reasonable level being reached.

Responding to the first comprehensive plan for the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska, the largest single unit of public land in the United States, 27,000 Earthjustice supporters joined a national campaign to preserve the most ecologically-important areas from mineral development—and won!

Farmworkers and food safety advocates rejoiced when the maker of a harmful pesticide pulled its product, methyl iodide, from the United States, bowing to pressure from Earthjustice activists and attorneys. Methyl iodide is commonly applied to strawberry fields and has been found to cause cancer.

Shopping online for an efficient appliance can be difficult, which is why Earthjustice and nearly 10,000 supporters petitioned the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for a change. The FTC subsequently agreed to update its Energy Labeling Rule and improve public disclosure of energy usage.

More than 13,500 passionate individuals uploaded their photo to our Mountain Heroes site, creating one of the largest photo petitions ever delivered to the president. Individuals rallied in front of the White House to present copies to administration officials.

Polluting industries pushed hard to get Congress to prevent the EPA from creating the first-ever federal standards on toxic coal ash. Earthjustice activists succeeded in getting a clean transportation bill signed by the president, and the EPA is now on its way to finalizing the standards.