The court temporarily enjoins conversion of a large wetland area to farmland, finding that the activities in controversy fail to fit under any of Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA) §404's farming exemptions. The court first holds that the government has established a strong likelihood of s...

The court rules that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) did not adequately assess whether to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) before approving an experimental deliberate release of genetically engineered, recombinant-DNA-containi...

The court, sitting en banc in a maritime toxic tort case, holds that no recovery is allowed for negligently inflicted economic loss absent physical damage to a proprietary interest. Plaintiff-appellants are various businesses indirectly injured when the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet and surrounding ...

The court holds that Idaho's four-year statute of limitations applies to the state law nuisance and statutory claims in a suit brought by Idaho alleging that defendants' smelting activities injured its northern environment. Although acting in its role as parens patriae in fulfillment of its importan...

In a preliminary ruling in a Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA) §505 citizen suit, the court rules that plaintiffs may seek penalties for past violations, that neither a state statute of limitations nor laches bars the suit, and the §505 is constitutional. The court reiterates a prior rul...

The court rules that a Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA) citizen suit may proceed at the same time as an administrative enforcement action and without joining the administrative agencies as parties, and holds defendant liable for past violations apparent from its discharge monitoring repor...

The court rules that 31 utilities are not entitled to intervene in a challenge to the Department of Energy's selection of sites in west Texas as potential long-term nuclear waste depositories under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. The utilities pay into a Nuclear Waste Fund under the Act, which will be...

The court holds that the Secretary of the Interior's failure to respond to plaintiff's request for temporary relief from a cessation order within the five days required by the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act renders futile further pursuit of administrative remedies by plaintiff and make t...

The court rules that citizen actions to enforce effluent limitations in Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA) permits are not subject to the statutes of limitations that govern federal or state enforcement and grants partial summary judgment on liability to plaintiffs. Initially, the court rul...

The court holds that the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) does not waive federal sovereign immunity with regard to state laws establishing liability for cleanup of hazardous waste spills. Section 6001 of RCRA makes federal agencies responsible for compliance with state "requirements" re...