Building Industry Ass'n of the Bay Area v. United States Department of Commerce
The Ninth Circuit upheld the National Marine Fisheries Service's (NMFS') designation of critical habitat for the southern distinct population of green sturgeon, a threatened species. The rule designated approximately 11,421 square miles of marine habitat, 897 square miles of estuary habitat, and hun...
Alaska Eskimo Whaling Comm'n v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The Ninth Circuit granted in part and denied in part a petition challenging an NPDES permit authorizing oil and gas exploration facilities' discharge of 13 waste streams into the Beaufort Sea. The petition was filed by the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission, which represents Alaska Native villages tha...
Bear Valley Mutual Water Co. v. Jewell
The Ninth Circuit upheld a 2010 FWS rule designating critical habitat for the threatened Santa Ana sucker, a small freshwater fish native to several California rivers and streams. In 2004, FWS approved a habitat conservation plan that encompassed nearly 1.26 million acres and provided participating ...