The Supreme Court of California overturned the state forestry agency's approval of a master plan for the intensive logging of old growth redwoods and other trees on a lumber company's property in Humboldt County as well as the agency's issuance of an incidental take permit, but otherwise affirmed a ...

The Ninth Circuit held that a Canadian corporation that markets and distributes electric power in the United States is a "foreign state" within the meaning of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 and, therefore, is entitled to a federal bench trial in a case alleging it had "manipulated the ...

A district court issued a preliminary injunction limiting the amount of cattle grazing allowed on conservation reserve program (CRP) lands. In May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) began a critical feed use haying and grazing program on CRP lands to deal with rising feed prices. But in so d...

A California appellate court upheld the dismissal of a continuing nuisance claim brought by the owners of contaminated property against the former owners for damages stemming from a prospective lender's refusal to refinance the property. Specifically, the owners sought to recover interest rate diffe...

A California appellate court reversed a lower court decision dismissing property owners' suit seeking damages against a city for inverse condemnation, nuisance, and trespass stemming from erosion caused by a faulty storm drain. The trial court concluded the city could not be held liable for erosion ...

A district court held that neither a coalition of agricultural water users nor a recreational water user has standing to challenge the state's striped bass fishing regulations under the Endangered Species Act. The plaintiffs argued that the regulations cause the unlawful take of species listed under...

The Ninth Circuit reversed a lower court decision dismissing a nonprofit corporation's action against a railroad company for contribution under Washington's Model Toxics Control Act. The lower court held that the corporation lacked standing because it was obligated to pay any money it recovered to a...

A district court denied motions to dismiss a landowner's tort and state-law claims against the owner of a gasoline station for damages stemming from methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) contamination of its drinking water wells. The owner has suffered a cognizable injury. A reasonable jury could find ...

The court holds that the U.S. Forest Service did not violate the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by classifying certain units of a proposed timber sale as roaded. Because the Forest Service considers the challenged units as roaded, the studies and research that formed the basis for the envi...

The court holds that oil and gas lessees failed to state a claim under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act's (OCSLA's) citizen suit provision when they challenged the U.S. Department of the Interior's (DOI's) determination that transportation costs are not deductible under the royalty provisions o...