A district court granted summary judgment for several bus companies in a CAA citizen suit alleging that the companies excessively idled their buses in violation of Massachusetts and Connecticut law. The companies moved for summary judgment, asserting the group lacked standing. The court found the co...
The Tenth Circuit, 2-1, granted in part an environmental group's challenge to EPA's approval of a Colorado SIP revision certifying that the state's existing, EPA-approved nonattainment new source review permitting program for the Denver Metro-North Front Range area met the requirements for attaining...
The Fifth Circuit denied environmental groups' petition to review the Army Corps of Engineers' issuance of a CWA permit for a proposed liquefied natural gas production and export terminal on the Calcasieu River in Louisiana. The groups argued the Corps failed to adequately consider a particular alte...
The Ninth Circuit affirmed dismissal of a lawsuit alleging the Forest Service was liable as a contributor under RCRA for failing to regulate use of lead ammunition by hunters in Kaibab National Forest. Environmental groups argued that, even though the Service's activity was not the direct source of ...
The Fifth Circuit granted oil and gas interest groups' and the state of Texas' petition to review NRC's issuance of a license to a private company to operate a temporary storage facility for spent nuclear fuel on the Permian Basin. Petitioners argued, among other things, that NRC lacked statutory au...
The U.S. Supreme Court’s May ruling in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency sharply limited the scope of the federal Clean Water Act’s (CWA’s) protection for the nation’s waters. The Court redefined the Act’s coverage of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS), effectively removing protection from many wetlands that have been covered under the Act for almost a half century. On June 8, 2023, the Environmental Law Institute hosted a panel of experts that analyzed the consequences of Sackett and discussed what actions can be taken to protect non-WOTUS waters.
A district court granted in part summary judgment for an environmental group in a challenge to EPA's issuance of recommended water quality criteria for cadmium in 2016. The group argued EPA violated the ESA by failing to consult with expert agencies before issuing the recommended criteria. The Agenc...
The Tenth Circuit affirmed in part and vacated in part EPA's partial approval and partial disapproval of Wyoming's SIP addressing emissions at coal-fired power plants to reduce regional haze. EPA approved the SIP as to the Naughton plant, but disapproved it for the Wyodak plant, and substituted, thr...
The Tenth Circuit denied environmental groups' petition to review approval of Utah's July 2019 revised SIP addressing regional haze. The groups argued EPA abused its discretion by approving the SIP because Utah's alternative measure did not satisfy CAA national visibility goals, and that the Agency ...
The D.C. Circuit dismissed five states' petition to review EPA's extension of a compliance deadline for a revised national drinking water regulation, which in turn extended the deadline for states to enforce conforming regulations to their own. The states argued the extension would cause their resid...