The Second Circuit denied a petition for writ of mandamus challenging a district court order denying a California water district's motion to remand its suit against corporations that manufactured, refined, marketed, or distributed gasoline containing methyl tertiary butyl ether to California state c...
A district court held that the U.S. Forest Service's EIS addressing the land management plans for four national forests in southern California was issued in violation of NEPA and the National Forest Management Act (NFMA). The court rejected many of the plaintiffs' challenges. Nevertheless, the Fores...
The Seventh Circuit affirmed a lower court decision dismissing a citizen group's 42 U.S.C. §1983 action against state park officials for refusing to include in the park's display racks pamphlets warning of asbestos in the park. A park is a traditional public forum, and thus the park authorities...
The Ninth Circuit held that a city's mobile home rent control ordinance, which effects a transfer of nearly 90 percent of the property value from mobile home park owners to mobile home tenants, constitutes a facial regulatory taking under Penn Central Transportation Co. v. New York City, 438 U.S. 10...
The Colorado Supreme Court held that a county has standing to challenge the state environmental agency's issuance of a radioactive materials license and a hazardous waste permit to a private company. Under Colorado's Low-Level Radioactive Waste Act and Hazardous Waste Siting Act, the state agency ma...
The First Circuit upheld the dismissal of a Native American tribe's claim challenging the Bureau of Indian Affair's (BIA's) decision to allow a plot of tribal land to be leased for the construction and operation of a liquefied natural gas facility. The tribe argued that the BIA's decision violated t...
New York's highest court overturned a lower court decision annulling a city's State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) determination regarding a proposed municipal project. An environmental group argued that the EIS was deficient for failing to evaluate possible threats to protected species. T...
The First Circuit affirmed a lower court decision dismissing a case challenging the constitutionality of regulations promulgated by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management imposing restrictions on lobster fishing in state waters. A fishermen's association initially brought the case i...
A California appellate court held that a consultant hired by a county to prepare an environmental impact report (EIR) for development project is not liable to the developer for failing to prepare the EIR in a timely fashion. When the EIR was not submitted on time, the county terminated its contract ...
A California appellate court reversed a lower court decision that a local air district's adoption of a rule to reduce airborne dust is exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The rule concerns the use of road paving to offset increases in airborne dust...