Legal Advocacy

Using the law to protect our natural resources

CLC is the only Indiana-based environmental law firm serving the public interest. We work alongside Indiana’s environmental organizations, land trusts, and community groups to fight for healthy air, clean water, sustainable land use, and protection of wildlife and wilderness areas, one case at a time. Our team of highly skilled lawyers provides each one of our clients with top-notch legal representation, free of charge, before administrative tribunals and trial and appellate courts at the state and federal levels. Below is a list of our current cases and examples of notable victories where we held polluters accountable and forced government agencies to do their job.

We litigate to:

Combat pollution of our air and water

Protect endangered species

Advocate for the public’s right to use and enjoy Indiana’s Lake Michigan beaches

Preserve invaluable wetlands

Oppose development projects that threaten the public interest

Program

Program

Environmental Legal Aid Program

The Environmental Legal Aid Program is designed to help residents overcome systemic barriers that have led to these environmental inequities by providing legal, scientific, and technical resources that residents need to more effectively advocate for improved environmental protection in the Region.

Conservation Law Center Matters & Cases

Status: Active

Conserving Nearly 4,000 Acres in Southern Indiana

December 10, 2024

Nearly 4,000 acres in Southern Indiana have been permanently conserved in a landmark effort led by the Conservation Law Center’s Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape initiative.

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Status: Active

$426,708 in Federal Funds to Support Clean Water and Indiana Forests

October 16, 2024

Indiana Forests to Faucets: Native Landscapes for Clean Water project gets new funding

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Status: Active

Ready-Set-Fire in White Oak Woodlands

October 12, 2024

This Joint Chiefs' Restoration Project will fund prescribed fire along with numerous forest management projects across 16 counties in southern Indiana.

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Status: Closed

700 Acres of Farmland and Forestland Preserved Near Lake Glendora

October 12, 2024

American Farmland Trust and Navy Partner on First REPI Easements in SISL

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Status: Active

331 Acres of Farmland Protected

October 12, 2024

New NRCS Agricultural Land Easement in Harrison County, Indiana

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Status: Closed

Supporting the Fight Against Invasive Species

October 12, 2024

Assisted SICIM with a successful grant application

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Status: Active

Commission Violates Transparency Laws in Little Calumet River Projects

August 1, 2024

Gary Lee v. Little Calumet River Development Commission

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Status: Closed

23 Acres on Mud Creek

May 14, 2024

Land trust support for Mud Creek Conservancy

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Status: Active

Protecting the White River from Coal Ash Pollution

April 15, 2024

Hoosier Environmental Council v. IDEM, AES/Eagle Valley Generating Station

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Status: Closed

400 Acres Preserved in Indiana

February 4, 2024

Conservation Easement Assistance with Central Indiana Land Trust

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Status: Active

Free Conservation Tool Provided to All Indiana Land Trusts

January 12, 2024

CLC created three conservation easement templates to protect natural habitat, including one for working forests and one for agricultural land.

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Status: Active

$25M Committed to Increase Private Land Conservation

November 16, 2023

Regional Conservation Partnership Program for the Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape

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Status: Active

Supporting Prescribed Fire for Healthy Forests

November 12, 2023

CLC is drafting proposed legislation to promote prescribed fire.

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Status: Closed

Victory! Plans to Industrialize Pristine Lake Superior Shoreline for a Rocket Launch Site Thwarted

July 8, 2023

Citizens for a Safe and Clean Lake Superior v. Michigan Aerospace Manufacturers Association

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Status: Active

Maintaining Public Access to Lake Michigan Beaches

June 19, 2023

Save the Dunes v. Ind. Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR), Town of Ogden Dunes

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Status: Active

Stopping More Industrial Pollution in Gary

December 16, 2022

Gary Advocates for Responsible Development (GARD) v. IDEM, Fulcrum BioEnergy, LLC

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Status: Active

Support for the threatened Great Green Macaw

June 12, 2020

CLC works to improve condition in Costa Rica, Columbia, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama for the Great Green Macaw

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Status: Closed

Success, Hazardous Waste Burn has been Denied

November 12, 2019

Essroc Cement Corp. v. Clark County Bd. of Zoning Appeals and Sierra Club

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Status: Closed

A Win for Wetlands and Government Accountability

July 29, 2019

Hoosier Environmental Council, Indiana Audubon, et al. v. Natural Prairie Indiana Farmland Holdings, LLC and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

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Status: Closed

CLC Saves 22% of Trees from Extensive Clearing on the White River in Settlement

August 29, 2016

Friends of the White River v. State of Indiana DNR

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Status: Closed

CLC prevails in Endangered Species Act lawsuit against US Fish and Wildlife permitting of wind farms harming Indiana bats

September 20, 2013

Union Neighbors United, Inc. v. Sally Jewell

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Status: Closed

Safeguarding Public Trust Rights on Lake Michigan

February 28, 2013

Gunderson v. State, Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources & Pavlock v. State

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Status: Closed

Victory: CLC wins at Indiana Supreme Court for the right for environmental orgs to represent their members in litigation

August 9, 2011

Indiana-Kentucky Electric Corporation v. Save the Valley, Inc.

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Status: Closed

Incorporating Nonprofits to Support Biodiversity

October 10, 2009

CLC helped Friends of the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge become a nonprofit

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Legal Advocacy Updates

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Indiana Environmental Group Sues the State for Allowing Powerplant to Keep Discharging its Coal Ash Laden Wastewater to the White River

March 26, 2025

(MARTINSVILLE, IN)– The Hoosier Environmental Council (“HEC”) filed suit last week in Morgan County Court against the Indiana Office of Administrative Law Proceedings (“OALP”) for

New CAFO analysis tells us what we know and fear

September 30, 2024

A recent International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health report on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in the United States highlights a disturbing truth:

Gary officials, environmental group react to Fulcrum Bioenergy bankruptcy filing

September 17, 2024

Fulcrum Bioenergy has declared bankruptcy, and a Gary environmental group is pleased by the news. The California-based company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Sept. 9,

Gary resident sues Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission over alleged statutory violations

August 5, 2024

A Gary resident is suing the Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission over alleged violations of transparency rules, the eligibility of two of the body’s

Company behind planned trash-to fuel plant in Gary reportedly facing bankruptcy

May 31, 2024

California-based Fulcrum Bioenergy, the company behind controversial plans for a jet fuel making facility in Gary, is facing bankruptcy, according to a report by Bloomberg

GARD seeks judicial review after judge dismisses Fulcrum Bioenergy complaint

May 20, 2024

The grassroots environmental group Gary Advocates for Responsible Development (GARD) is seeking judicial review of a complaint against the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM)

Legal Advocacy Staff

Christian Freitag

Executive Director

Contact Christian Freitag

Kacey Cook

Connie and Terry Marbach Conservation Attorney

Contact Kacey Cook

Kim Ferraro

Managing Attorney

Contact Kim Ferraro

Rob McCrea

Landscape Conservation Attorney

Contact Rob McCrea

Michael Zoeller

Senior Attorney

Contact Michael Zoeller

Legal Advocacy Partners

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Macaw Recovery Network

Earthjustice

The Natural Resources Defense Council

Northwestern Environmental Advocacy Clinic

Abrams Environmental Law Clinic

Environmental Integrity Project

Brown Faces Green Spaces

Faith in Place

Just Transition NWI

Red-Tail Land Conservancy

Oak Heritage Conservancy

NICHES Land Trust