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Federal Legislative Solutions to Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution

Environmental regulation of pollution in the United States is often maligned as costly and ineffective. Pollution continues to plague and degrade the natural resources in the United States, and U.S. waters in particular. Nonpoint source pollution is currently the most significant source of water pollution, but it is also the most unregulated. While other discharges into U.S. waters have been dramatically reduced since the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA) was enacted, nonpoint source pollution—caused most by runoff from agricultural operations—has increased.

<i>Lingle</i>, Etc.: The U.S. Supreme Court's 2005 Takings Trilogy

Editors' Summary: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on three takings cases in its 2004 term: Lingle v. Chevron U.S.A., Inc.; Kelo v. City of New London; and San Remo Hotel, Ltd. Partnership v. City & County of San Francisco. In Lingle, the Court struck down the "substantially advance" test set forth in Agins v. City of Tiburon. Kelo, which gained attention from the media and public, upheld the use of eminent domain for economic development purposes. And San Remo involved a relatively straightforward procedural issue.

Friends of Southeast's Future v. Morrison

The court holds that the U.S. Forest Service's approval of a proposed timber sale in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska violated the National Forest Management Act (NFMA), but did not violate the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The court first holds that the Forest Service's tentative o...

Bayou Liberty Ass'n v. Corps of Eng'rs

The court holds that an environmental group is not entitled to a preliminary injunction suspending a proposed retail development's construction permit and ordering the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) addressing the development's impact on flooding. The...

Corridor H Alternatives v. Slater

The court holds that the Federal Highway Administration's (FHwA's) approval of a highway project in West Virginia violated the Department of Transportation Act §4(f) historic sites review requirement. The court first holds that the plain language of §4(f)'s regulations, 23 C.F.R. §771.135(b) and ...

Colorado Envtl. Coalition v. Dombeck

The court holds that the U.S. Forest Service complied with the National Forest Management Act (NFMA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) when it issued a permit to a Colorado ski resort for the expansion of a ski area within the White River National Forest. The court first holds that ne...

Friends of the Clearwater v. Dombeck

The court holds that although the U.S. Forest Service violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) when it failed to prepare a supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) necessary for certain timber sales in the Nez Perce National Forest in Idaho, the Forest Service's subsequent pre...

South Fork Band v. Department of the Interior

A district court largely denied a tribe's motions for summary judgment on claims that the BLM violated NEPA and FLPMA in approving a gold mining and processing operation on and around Mt. Tenabo in Lander County, Nevada. The Ninth Circuit already issued a preliminary injunction requiring the BLM to ...

Lee's Summit, Mo. v. Surface Transp. Bd.

The court denies two Missouri cities' petition to review the Surface Transportation Board's approval of restoration train service over an unused 278-mile railroad line without performing an environmental assessment (EA) under the National Environmental Policy Act.
The cities argued that the propose...

Churchill County v. Norton

The court affirms a district court holding that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS') failure to prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement (EIS) before approving land and water rights purchases under §206 of the Truckee-Carson Pyramid Lake Water Rights Settlement Act (Settlement A...