National Parks Conservation Association v. Semonite
A district court upheld the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' approval of a permit for an already-constructed 17-mile transmission line after the D.C. Circuit found that the Corps had failed to prepare an EIS for the line in violation of NEPA. The court found that vacatur was not appropriate because rev...
WildEarth Guardians v. Bernhardt
A district court enjoined the expansion of an underground coal mine into a roadless area in the Gunnison National Forest. Environmental groups argued that OSM's approval of the expansion violated NEPA by failing to consider methane flaring as an alternative. The court found that OSM was required to ...
Western Watersheds Project v. Schneider
A district court preliminarily enjoined BLM from implementing its 2019 amendments to plans for oil and gas permitting and licensing on greater sage-grouse habitat in seven states. Environmental groups argued that the six EISs that BLM issued to amend the plans violated NEPA by failing to consider re...
National Audubon Society v. United States Army Corps of Engineers
A district court granted summary judgment to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in a challenge to the Corps' approval of construction of a terminal groin to mitigate shoreline erosion in a North Carolina town. A conservation group first argued that the third-party contractor who submitted the permit a...
Southeast Alaska Conservation Council v. United States Forest Service
A district court preliminarily enjoined the U.S. Forest Service from allowing any timber harvesting, road construction, or other ground-disturbing activities associated with the Service's authorization of a timber sale in Tongass National Forest. Environmental groups, whose members use areas that wo...
Protect Our Communities Foundation v. LaCounte
The Ninth Circuit affirmed a summary judgment in favor of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and its approval of an industrial-scale wind facility in southern California. A conservation group argued that BIA improperly relied on BLM's EIS for the project because BIA failed to explain its decision no...
Center for Biological Diversity v. United States Environmental Protection Agency
The Fifth Circuit dismissed environmental groups' challenge to EPA's issuance of a CWA general permit authorizing discharges from oil and gas facilities operating in the Gulf of Mexico. Environmental groups argued that EPA violated NEPA by failing to prepare an adequate EIS before issuing the permit...