Shell Gulf of Mexico, Inc. v. Center for Biological Diversity
The Ninth Circuit dismissed an oil company's Declaratory Judgment Act lawsuit against several environmental groups, seeking a declaration that the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement’s approval of two oil spill response plans under OPA for Alaska’s Beaufort and Chukchi Seas did not vi...
National Oilseed Processors Ass'n v. Occupational Safety & Health Administration
The D.C. Circuit denied a petition for review seeking vacatur of an OSHA rule, the Hazard Communication Standard, as it applies to combustible dust. The Hazard Communication Standard requires employers to develop a program for classifying the dangers of workplace chemicals and conveying those danger...
In re Oil Spill by the Oil Rig “Deepwater Horizon”
A district court issued its findings of fact and conclusions of law regarding phase one of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill trial, holding various companies liable for the spill. In the 150+-page opinion, the court determined that BP Exploration & Production, Inc., is subject to enhanced civil pe...
Sierra Club v. Jewell
The D.C. Circuit held that environmental groups have standing to challenge DOI's decision to remove the Blair Mountain Battlefield—the site of a large 1921 coal miner uprising in West Virginia—from the National Register of Historic Places. Shortly after the Battlefield was listed in 2009, the si...
Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. v. United States Food & Drug Administration
The Second Circuit reversed a lower court decision that FDA was required to hold hearings to determine whether to withdraw approval for the use of penicillin and tetracyclines in animal feed. Looking at the text of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the context, the regulations, and the backg...