The court holds that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) complied with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in connection with its transfer of surplus plutonium from Colorado to South Carolina. DOE argued that the governor of South Carolina, who filed suit against DOE, lacked standing becaus...

The Tenth Circuit affirmed a district court decision that Utah's statutes regulating the storage and transportation of spent nuclear fuel are preempted by federal law. Contrary to the state's arguments, the plaintiffs who challenge the statutes—a consortium of utility companies and a Native Americ...

The Ninth Circuit held that the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM's) environmental assessments (EAs) for two timbers sales in the Cascade Mountains in Oregon violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The EAs do not sufficiently identify or discuss the incremental impact that can be expec...

The court holds that the presence of hazardous waste on industrial property that a company sold to an individual does not breach any express or implied warranties. The court first finds that the purchase and sale agreement contains no express warranties as to the condition of the property, and a rid...

The court holds that the U.S. Army, the Michigan Department of Military Affairs, and the National Guard Bureau (agencies), did not violate the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in deciding to construct a tank firing range at a National Guard training facility, and not to issue a supplemental ...

The court holds that the discretionary function exception to the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) bars an insurer's claim that U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials acted tortiously in ordering the insurer to clean up a site under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, ...

The court refuses to preliminarily enjoin the U.S. Department of the Army from beginning incineration tests of chemical warfare agents at its disposal facility in Tooele, Utah. The court first holds that the asserted risks of harm due to dioxin exposure and accidental agent releases are too speculat...

Present BECKER, STAPLETON, MANSMANN, SCIRICA, COWEN, NYGAARD, ALITO, ROTH, LEWIS, McKEE and SAROKIN, Circuit Judges.
The court holds that under New Jersey law, a chemical transporter is entitled to indemnification from its excess liability insurers for costs it incurred in accordance with a Compreh...

The court holds that a former owner of petroleum-contaminated property is not liable to the current owner on state-law claims of fraud and strict liability for the alleged expense of removing leaking underground storage tanks from the site. The court first holds that to succeed on its fraud claim, t...

The court holds that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) acted within the scope of its discretion in issuing a regulation that established a rebuttable presumption that loose closures on railroad tank cars transporting hazardous materials result from the shipper's failure to conduct a proper...