The court held that the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) arbitrarily and capriciously transferred the functions performed by the Fish Passage Center—providing technical assistance and information to fish and wildlife agencies, Indian tribes, and the general public on matters related to salmon...
The court upheld a U.S. Department of Labor administrative review board decision dismissing a civilian chemist's complaint that his former employer—the U.S. Army—violated the employee protection provisions of several environmental statutes and retaliated against him by creating a hostile work en...
A district court held that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), and the Endangered Species Act (ESA) when it revised its nationwide grazing regulations. In issuing the regulations, which general...
The D.C. Circuit denied petitions to review two Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regulations concerning the project design and capacity expansion of Alaska natural gas transportation projects. The petitioner wants to construct a natural gas pipeline from the North Slope of Alaska to the c...
The court holds that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' authorization of a flood control project in the St. Johns Bayou and New Madrid Floodway on the west bank of the Mississippi River violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and enjoined further construction work on the project. Environmenta...
A district court dismissed environmental groups' claim that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has never undertaken the study of coal mining wastes requested by Congress and, accordingly, has failed to determine whether such wastes should be regulated as "hazardous" under Subtitle C of t...
The court holds that the Federal Highway Administration and the West Virginia Department of Transportation's decision to support the building of a new, four-lane highway as part of the Appalachian Highway Development System complied with the National Environmental Policy Act and §4(f) of the Depart...
The court upholds the U.S. Forest Service's interpretation of the term "native" and its environmental assessment (EA) for an ecological project in Shawnee National Forest in Illinois. The appellants argued that the ecological project will have an adverse effect on shortleaf pines and pine warblers i...
The court holds that a band of Native Americans has the right to moor commercial fishing vessels at two municipally owned marinas on Lake Michigan. The court first holds that treaties signed in 1836 and 1855 provided for an easement of access to reach traditional fishing grounds, which includes the ...
When the 103d Congress convened on January 5, 1993, many observers believed that it would make up for the dismal environmental record of its predecessor. The 102d Congress had tried and failed to reauthorize the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Its attempt to elevate the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to a cabinet-level department had been blocked in the House of Representatives, and its attempt to reform the General Mining Law of 1872 had been blocked in both houses.