Crag Law Center

Crag Law Center provides legal services to conservation organizations, community groups & communities working on environmental issues. Over the past 22 years, Crag has provided services to over one hundred organizations working in the public interest. Legal services focus on protection of the wild, communities & the climate. These services were provided for free, at below market rates &/or on a contingency basis to the community. Crag services include assistance with bringing litigation in state & federal courts, with mediation & settlement of complex natural resource disputes, & with public education. Crag also provides legal assistance in non-profit formation, management & outreach for non-profits working in the public interest. Crag also works with other non-profit organizations to hold public events including screenings of films that address various environmental issues. These events help to educate communities about environmental issues & the legal tools that can be used to address these issues. Crag's 2022 cases litigated or in litigation were where fees were recovered: (1) cascadia wildlands - challenging post-fire logging on willamette national forest settlement. Public benefit: protect fragile post-fire ecosystems. Fee award: $64,766.25 (2) cascadia wildlands -challenging post-fire logging on wilamette national forest. Public benefit: protect fragile post-fire ecosystems. Fee award: $53,119.67 (3) greater hells canyon council, sierra club, central Oregon landwatch (colw), Oregon wild, great old broads for wilderness, wildearth guardians - litigation over the forest service's amendment to "eastside screens." Public benefit: upholding regulations that prohibit logging of large & mature forests east of the cascade mountain range. Fee income: $20,000. (4) umpqua watersheds - challenging post-fire logging in umpqua national forest (archie creek). Public benefit: protect fragile post-fire ecosystems. Fee award: $15,672.40 (5) beyond toxics, climate solutions, environmental defense fund, Oregon business for climate, & Oregon environmental council - defend Oregon climate protection rules from industry legal challenge. Public benefit: protecting program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fuel suppliers & industrial sources. Fee income: $5,000. Crag's also provided non-litigation services to clients which generated $83,223 in fee income at well below market rates: (1) nez perce tribe - natural resource damage assessment & clean up proceedings for the portland harbor superfund site. Public benefit: protection of environmental resources in the lower willamette river. (2) east fork community coalition - challenge expansion of yalcolt mountain quarry operation. Public benefit: protect sensitive habitat & public health & safety. (3) Oregon shores conservation coalition - work in a variety of legal forums in order to protect coastal wetlands, streams & forests from the harmful effects of development. Public benefit: enforcing state land use laws & clean water act provisions for impacts to wetlands & streams from development activities in coastal communities. (4) pew charitable trusts - provided research & analysis of Oregon state & local tribal consultation & cultural resource protection policies. Public benefit: evaluating state laws for potential improvement in area of state-tribal relations and cultural resource protection. (5) Oregon river safety & preservation alliance - advocate before Oregon state marine board for river saftey & protection on the willamette river at newberg pool. Public benefit: support regulations for boater safety & erosion control on willamette river. (6) thrive hood river - provide legal research & analysis for group to understand local enforcement options for land use planning violations. Public benefit: support local community engagement in land use & upholding land use laws. Crag also provided legal services for free on issues & for a wide range of individuals & groups including: (1) climate - work with public interest organizations, environmental justice & community groups to research, develop & engage in climate policy at the state & local level. Public benefit: promote a sustainable climate & climate resiliency in impacted communities. (2) public lands defense - advise public interest organizations on policy changes proposed for public lands & support community-based efforts to understand the impacts of wildfire on the landscape. Public benefit: public outreach & education to better understand wildfire & develop sound policy responses for land managers that protect communities, water supplies, wildlife & forested ecosystems. (3) develop outreach materials for underserved communities to understand land use planning. Public benefit: broader community engagement in land use planning for more livable communities in Oregon. (4) consultation on conservation issues & policy guidance for various clients. Public benefit: working with clients on collaborative & creative options for protecting Oregon's natural resources, including its air, water & public health. (5) waterwatch, Oregon wild, portland audubon -challenge to plan for managing wildlife refuges in klamath basin. Public benefit: protecting wildfowl habitat & water quality. (6) columbia riverkeeper (crk) & friends of columbia river gorge - challenge to state authorization of natural gas power plant. Public benefit: protecting air quality & preventing further fossil fuel development. (7) zenith energy v. city of portland - represent crk & willamette riverkeeper in defending portland's decision to deny land use approval to crude oil transport & storage facility. Public benefit: reduce climate changing emissions & protect public health & safety. (8) crk v. columbia county - represent crk & 1000 friends of Oregon challenging re-zone of farmland to industrial uses along columbia river. Public benefit: upholding land use laws & protecting farmlands. (9) juliana v. u.s. - represent league of women voters of Oregon & league of women voters of u.s. as amici in support of case against the federal government for constitutional & public trust violations resulting from actions exacerbating & continuing climate change. Public benefit: advocating for youth's rights to a stable climate & protecting future generations from the adverse impacts of climate change. (10) hood river valley residents committee - cases to protect forested lands on the north slope of mt hood as wilderness & protecting drinking water supplies for communities in hood river county. (11) Center for biological diversity, et al. V. daugherty, et al., - challenging the Oregon department of forestry's authorization of hazardous timber sales in state forests adjacent to streams providing habitat for threatened Oregon coast coho salmon. Public benefit: protecting habitat for native salmon. (12) earth island institute, greenpeace & sequoia forestkeeper -challenge use of disaster relief funds for logging. Public benefit: government accountability & forest habitat protection. (13) beyond toxics - represent environmental justice organization to support enforcement of water quality & hazardous waste laws & creosote wood treatment facility. Public benefit: protecting public health & water quality. (14) 1000 friends v. columbia county - represent 1000 friends of Oregon, columbia riverkeeper and local farmer to challenge conditional use permit for rail yard facility on farm land. Public benefit: upholding land use laws and protecting farm land. (15) cpbtc v. city of portland - represent columbia riverkeeper, portland audubon, & Oregon physicians for social responsibility in defening landmark ordinance restricting large scale fossil fuel storage & transport developments within the city against industry legal challenges. Public benefit: promote policies to support sustainable climate. (16) gtn xpress - represent columbia riverkeeper in opposing proposed gas pipline expansion project. Public benefit: ensuring adequate consideration of climate change impacts & decresing demand for fossil fuels in federal authorization of gas pipeline projects. (17) fish passage barriers - represent waterwatch of Oregon in pursuing removal of barriers to fish passage in southern Oregon. Public benefit: improving habitat for threatened & endangered species of fish & restoring rivers to natural state. (18) colw -advocacy regarding water management in the deschutes basin. Public benefit: protecting habitat for native fish & amphibians. (19) Oregon wild v. u.s. forest service -Oregon wild & wildearth guardians challenge to use of categorical exclusion for large scale logging projects. (20) cascadia wildlands v. adcock -cascadia wildlands & Oregon wild challenge to programmatic environmental assessment for bureau of land management logging project.