Voyageur Outward Bound School v. United States
A district court denied environmental groups' motion to reconsider its prior decision in a lawsuit concerning DOI's renewal of mining leases for a proposed copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota. The groups argued new evidence retrieved through third-party FOIA requests—communications from 2...
Louisiana v. Biden
A district court denied environmental groups' motion to intervene in a lawsuit concerning the president's Executive Order pausing new oil and gas lease sales on public lands. The groups maintained that their interests might not be adequately represented by the existing parties, arguing that although...
Friends of the Capital Crescent Trail v. United States Army Corps of Engineers
In an unpublished opinion, the Fourth Circuit upheld the Army Corps of Engineers' decision to grant Maryland a CWA §404 permit for a mass transportation project. An environmental group and state residents argued that the Corps granted the permit without considering alternatives other than the optio...
NorthMet Project Permit to Mine Application Dated December 2017
The Minnesota Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part a lower court ruling reversing a permit to mine and dam-safety permits for a copper-nickel mine in Minnesota. Environmental groups and a Native American tribe challenged the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' (MDNR's) issuance...
Rio Hondo Land & Cattle Co., L.P. v. United States Environmental Protection Agency
The Tenth Circuit denied a company's petition to review an Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) decision denying its petition to review a 2017 permit issued by EPA to an upstream wastewater treatment plant. In its petition, the company argued the permit constituted backsliding under the CWA, particular...