The court holds that the Endangered Species Act's (ESA's) application to private lands in order to protect an endangered species that lives entirely within one state does not violate the U.S. Commerce Clause. The court first holds that the regulated activity in question—construction of a housing d...

The court denies most of oil companies' motions to dismiss in a class action suit brought by individual well owners claiming that the companies knowingly caused methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) contamination of their groundwater. The court first holds that the claims of several of the class partic...

The court holds that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner by issuing incidental take statements imposing terms and conditions on grazing permits sought by a cattle growers' association where there was either no evidence that the endangered species exis...

The court affirms a district court decision requiring the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) and to issue a critical habitat designation for the Rio Grande Silvery Minnow within 120 days. In 1994, the minnow was listed as an endangered species. FW...

The court denies a petition for review seeking reversal of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator's decision not to object to a state agency's determination that the heightened permitting requirements of the prevention of significant deterioration (PSD) program do not apply to ...

The court holds that the federal government failed to show how limiting permits for eagle feathers only to members of federally recognized tribes is the least restrictive means of advancing the government's interests in preserving eagle populations and protecting Native American culture. An individu...

The court holds that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) failed to satisfy the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Management Act's (Atlantic Coastal Act's) consultation requirement before promulgating a final rule governing lobster fishing in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the U.S. Atlantic ...

The court vacates a district court decision that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) violated its statutory obligations under the Radon Gas and Indoor Air Quality Act (Radon Act) by issuing a report that analyzed the effects of secondhand smoke on human health and categorized secondhand s...

The court holds that application of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to a commercial housing development that threatened the continued existence of the arroyo southwestern toad, an endangered species, was a constitutional exercise of federal authority under the U.S. Commerce Clause. The court previo...

The court rejects a timber company's Declaratory Judgment Act claim against two private environmental groups, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The environmental groups filed a notice of intent to sue the FWS and the NMFS under the Endangered...