The court holds that a logging company's takings claims against the United States, based on the temporary prohibition of logging due to an injunction entered by an Oregon court, were properly dismissed for failure to state a claim. The injunction prohibited the company from logging its property with...

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 court holds that California's Proposition 4, which bans the use of certain traps and poisons to capture or kill wildlife in the state, is preempted by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the National Wildlife Refuge Systems Improvement Act (NWRSIA). An environmental group brought suit against t...

The court reverses a district court dismissal of a property owner's claims of retaliation and denial of equal protection and due process against a county that imposed conditions, delays, and fees in connection with the owner's application for a polo field and residential building permit. The distric...

The Eighth Circuit affirmed a lower court decision that federal law preempts conflicting state pipeline regulations and, thus, governs the upgrade of a natural gas pipeline in Iowa. Iowa Code Chapter 479A and its implementing provisions, which provide for various pipeline reporting and inspection re...

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 a county ordinance requiring federal and state agencies to consult and coordinate with the county board of commissioners on land use decisions and to comply with the county's interim land use plan, which purports to control acquisition of private lands by federal agencies and pr...

The court holds that several provisions of the South Carolina Infectious Waste Management Act addressing the costs and hauling of particular wastes violate the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The court first holds that the owner of a medical, municipal solid, and commercial nonhazardous wa...

The court holds that genuine issues of material fact regarding whether a municipal solid waste flow-control ordinance violates the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution preclude summary judgment on the city's action seeking civil penalties, indemnification, and an injunction to prevent a waste ha...

The court holds that North Carolina's inverse condemnation statute preempts state commom-law claims of nuisance, trespass, and negligence, but does not preempt a statutory claim of strict liability asserted under the North Carolina Oil Pollution and Hazardous Substances Act when methane gas escaping...