A New York court dismissed individuals' lawsuit challenging the legality of New York's participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a regional cap-and-trade plan for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The individuals claimed they had standing because, as electric utility ratepaye...

The Fifth Circuit upheld EPA's decision to disapprove certain revisions to Texas' SIP. EPA disapproved the revisions concerning the state's "qualified facilities program" because it did not meet the minor new source review (NSR) SIP nor did it meet the NSR SIP requirement for a substitute major ...

The D.C. Circuit vacated an interim final rule issued by EPA that would allow manufacturers of heavy-duty diesel engines to pay nonconformance penalties in exchange for the right to sell engines that fail to satisfy nitrogen oxide requirements. In 2001, EPA issued a rule requiring a 95% reduction in...

The Third Circuit vacated as moot a lower court decision that dismissed a contractor's third-party complaint against Pennsylvania and the commonwealth's natural resources agency for cleanup costs associated with Quehanna Wild Area Nuclear Site. The contractor argued that the lower court erred by...

The Ninth Circuit upheld the constitutionality of Hawaii's regulation of commercial weddings on the state's unencumbered beaches in all respects but one. A pastor and wedding planning companies filed suit against the state's Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) alleging that its permit re...

The Michigan Supreme Court held that under the state's Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (NREPA), a municipality can be held responsible for, and required to prevent, a discharge of raw sewage that originates within its borders, even when the raw sewage is discharged by a privat...

The Sixth Circuit held that the CAA's citizen suit provision does not allow an environmental group to file suit to compel the state of Ohio to administer a particular federal CAA regulation it has chosen no longer to administer. In 2006, the Ohio General Assembly passed legislation that allows the s...

A California appellate court held that the California Coastal Commission exceeded its jurisdiction when it approved amendments to a city's certified local coastal program at the request of state agencies and over the objection of the city. The proposed amendments would override the city's local land...

A district court held that residents may add four new defendants in their lawsuit against energy companies for alleged water contamination due to hydraulic fracturing operations near their homes. During the course of discovery, the residents learned that the proposed defendants participated in t...