BNSF Railway Co. v. Clark County
A district court held that a railroad company was not required to obtain a local permit to repair its tracks in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. The company argued that the ICC Termination Act preempted the permitting and preclearance process established by a county where the gorge is ...
American Wild Horse Campaign v. Bernhardt
A district court denied horse advocacy and environmental groups' motion for summary judgment in a lawsuit concerning BLM's proposal to remove wild horses from public lands in southeastern Nevada. The groups challenged BLM's 2008 land use plan that determined the area would not be managed for wild ho...
Ass'n of Washington Business v. Washington State Department of Ecology
The Washington Supreme Court invalidated a rule promulgated by the state's Department of Ecology authorizing regulation via emission standards of businesses that do not directly emit greenhouse gases (GHGs), but whose products do. Industry groups and utility companies argued the Department lacked au...
Sauk Prairie Conservation Alliance v. United States Department of the Interior
The Seventh Circuit affirmed summary judgment for NPS in a lawsuit concerning acceptable activities on land acquired by Wisconsin through the Federal Land to Parks Program for recreational use. An environmental group argued that NPS' approval of three activities at the park—dog training, off-road ...
Massachusetts Lobstermen's Ass'n v. Ross
The D.C. Circuit affirmed a district court decision that upheld President Barack Obama's 2016 proclamation of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off the New England coast. Commercial fishing associations argued the monument exceeded the president's authority under the Antiq...
Friends of the Rapid River v. Probert
A district court denied environmental groups' motion for summary judgment in a lawsuit concerning the Forest Service's plan for harvesting timber on 2,500 acres in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest. The groups argued that the Service exceeded its statutory authority under the Healthy Forest R...