The D.C. Circuit vacated FERC's approval of an expansion project for a natural gas pipeline that runs through New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Environmental groups petitioned to review the approval, arguing FERC arbitrarily overlooked significant environmental consequences...
A district court remanded without vacatur the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's (BOEM's) final EIS and record of decision (ROD) for a 2022 oil lease sale in Alaska's Cook Inlet. Environmental groups argued BOEM's review of the lease sale and ROD violated NEPA, and moved to remand and vacate both. ...
The D.C. Circuit granted in part and denied in part petitions to review FERC's authorization of construction and operation of liquefied natural gas facilities in southwestern Louisiana. Environmental groups argued FERC did not properly address NEPA and Natural Gas Act requirements. The court found F...
The D.C. Circuit affirmed a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) order licensing a new satellite system. An environmental group argued the FCC's decision not to perform an environmental review of light pollution and atmospheric effects of the system violated NEPA. The court found the license fell...
A district court denied summary judgment for environmental groups in a challenge to BLM's management plan for a recreation area in Montana. The groups argued BLM violated NEPA, FLPMA, and the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) when it developed the plan, and sought a preliminary injunction. The c...
The D.C. Circuit denied petitions to review FERC's approval of a project that would expand service on a natural gas pipeline running from western Pennsylvania to the New York metropolitan area. A nonprofit group argued FERC's EIS failed to quantify greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from upstream drilli...
The Ninth Circuit, 2-1, reversed summary judgment for the Forest Service in a challenge to its approval of a mineral exploration project on land in Inyo National Forest. Environmental groups argued the Service violated NEPA by combining two categorical exclusions (CEs) when neither alone could be in...
The D.C. Circuit affirmed summary judgment for the Army Corps of Engineers and NMFS in a challenge to approval of a dredging project in Puerto Rico's San Juan Bay. Environmental groups argued the agencies failed to take the necessary "hard look" at the project's environmental effect. The district co...
The D.C. Circuit denied environmental groups' petition to review FERC's certification of an interstate natural gas pipeline expansion project. The groups argued FERC violated NEPA by failing to consider the full scope of the project's environmental effects because the EIS did not include four other ...
The Fifth Circuit denied environmental groups' petition to review DOT's approval of a license to construct and operate a large deepwater oil facility off the Texas coast. The groups argued the final EIS applied a "flawed" alternatives analysis and "grossly underestimated" the facility's environmenta...