Save LBI Sues Commerce Over Whale Habitat

Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI), a New Jersey-based nonprofit, filed a Notice of Intent on August 9, 2026, to sue the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) for failing to protect the North Atlantic right whale's migration corridor. The group seeks to compel the DOC to reconsider its denial of a petition requesting that the corridor be designated as critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act. The petition, filed March 31, 2025, asks NOAA to create a continuous protected migration route connecting existing critical habitats in New England and the Southeast. NOAA denied the petition on July 22, 2026, after Save LBI had already filed suit to force action. Save LBI argues the denial used an erroneously high standard and ignored scientific evidence. The group also requests that the Department of the Interior require analysis of underwater noise from offshore wind projects in the corridor. Save LBI has written to President Donald Trump asking him to intervene. The North Atlantic right whale population is estimated at around 380, and the group says the corridor is essential for its survival.