The court holds that the U.S. Forest Service did not breach a timber sale contract when, pursuant to two contract provisions, it canceled the contract to avoid jeopardizing the continued existence of the endangered northern spotted owl in the Six Rivers National Forest. The court first holds that th...

The court holds that the Federal Highway Administration (FHwA) did not violate the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) when it approved revised plans for the construction of an airport highway without conducting a supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS). A citizen group claimed that ...

The court holds that a timber company cannot bring a takings claim against the United States for canceling a timber sales contract in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington State, but that the company can bring a breach of contract claim under the Contract Disputes Act (CDA). The U...

The court affirms the U.S. Forest Service's approval of a special use permit that allows landowners with property surrounded by the Gunnison National Forest in Colorado to snowplow two miles of Forest Service road so that they can reach their residence by automobile in winter. The court first holds ...

The court affirms a district court grant of summary judgment to the National Park Service on the grounds that the Park Service's deer management program in Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site does not violate the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) or the Nat...

The court reverses a district court decision that environmental groups failed to demonstrate injury-in-fact and, therefore, do not have standing to bring a citizen suit under the Clean Water Act against a nonferrous metal smelting facility for violations of its national pollutant discharge eliminati...

The court finds that a U.S. Forest Service letter enforcing a decision to close certain areas of Lolo National Forest to motorized use did not constitute final agency action subject to review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the National Forest Management Act. The Forest Servic...

The court holds that the equitable doctrine of laches bars a community group's Administrative Procedure Act and Clean Water Act (CWA) claims seeking to prevent the permitted filling of a wetland and, hence, to stop further development of a neighboring industrial park. After their attempt to stop the...

The court holds that neither an amended Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) consent decree between a waste handler and the United States nor a previous trust agreement with other CERCLA defendants bound a waste handler to sign a new trust agreement. The dis...

The court holds that a lower court improperly dismissed a laundry detergent manufacturer's claim that an exclusive franchise agreement between a county and a solid waste handler violated the dormant U.S. Commerce Clause. The agreement gave the waste handler the exclusive right to collect and process...