A district court granted summary judgment for the Forest Service in a challenge against its determination that a mining company had "valid existing rights" (VER) at a uranium mine in the Kaibab National Forest when DOI withdrew public lands around the Grand Canyon from new mining claims. A Native Am...

A district court upheld DOI's renewal of two mineral leases that had previously been rejected for a copper-nickel mine in Superior National Forest. Businesses and environmental groups argued that DOI's authority to reconsider its decision to renew was limited to ministerial or inadvertent errors, an...

A district court dismissed constitutional challenges to Colorado's forced pooling statute, under which property owners were required to allow oil and gas companies to extract their minerals. A group of property owners argued the statute violated the First Amendment by requiring non-consenting owners...

In a partially published opinion, a state appellate court set aside Kern County's approval of an ordinance amendment proposed by oil and gas industry groups to streamline the permitting process for new oil and gas wells. Environmental groups, community groups, and a local farm argued that the enviro...

A state appellate court reversed the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' decisions to deny petitions for a contested-case hearing and issue mine and dam safety permits for a proposed copper-nickel-platinum mine in northeastern Minnesota. Environmental groups petitioned the Department for a he...

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A district court denied nonprofit groups' and EPA's cross-motions for summary judgment in a challenge to the Agency's denial of a petition to regulate the fluoridation of drinking water supplies under TSCA. The groups argued that the ingestion of fluoride posed an unreasonable risk of neurotoxic har...