Guam Preservation Trust v. Gregory
A district court, in an underlying NEPA suit, denied the Navy's request for a voluntary remand for further consideration of the future location of a firing range complex in Guam. Plaintiffs argued that a voluntary remand to the agency is only appropriate where either there have been intervening...
Courts Shed Light on the Application of CERCLA's Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser Defense
Purchasers who knowingly take title to real property found to be contaminated with hazardous substances during pre-purchase due diligence may be subject to liability for remediation costs under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund), unless those purchasers are able to establish CERCLA’s bona fide prospective purchaser defense (the BFPP Defense).
Hillsdale Environmental Loss Center v. United States Army Corps of Engineers
A district court dismissed an environmental group's claim that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated NEPA, the CWA, and the APA by granting a CWA §404 permit to a railroad company without completing an EIS. The Corps' finding that the chosen site was the least environmentally damaging prac...
Sierra Club v. Jackson
The D.C. Circuit upheld the dismissal of a CAA citizen suit challenging EPA's failure to take action to prevent the construction of three proposed pollution-emitting facilities in Kentucky. The lower court held that there was no mandatory duty to act and granted EPA's motion to dismiss for lack...
Assessing Jurisdiction Under the New Clean Water Act Guidance
Two decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court have created enormous confusion around the question of what U.S. waters are subject to federal regulation. On May 2, EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published proposed joint guidance that intends to clarify this issue by describing how the agencies will identify waters protected by the CWA.
Mildenberger v. United States
The Federal Circuit upheld the dismissal of landowners' suit against the United States seeking compensation for the alleged taking of their riparian and upland property rights stemming from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers activities to control water levels in Lake Okeechobee. The landowners' takin...
Del Cerro Mobile Estates v. City of Placentia
A California appellate court dismissed a mobile home park owner's complaint challenging a city's environmental impact report (EIR) for a planned railroad grade separation project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Below, the county transportation authority intervened in the ...