A district court held that FWS complied with NEPA when it approved the opening and expansion of sport hunting in 60 National Wildlife Refuges. Between 1997 and 2005, the FWS issued nine final rules creating or expanding recreational hunting opportunities on 60 wildlife refuges. In 2006, a court...
A district court denied environmental groups' motion to preliminarily enjoin the BLM from authorizing the site clearing and construction of a wind energy facility in Spring Valley, Nevada. The groups are not likely to succeed on the merits of their claim that an EIS was required. The BLM's deci...
The Ninth Circuit held that a U.S. Forest Service decision that a proposed mining operation may proceed based on the miner's notice of intent (NOI) does not constitute an "agency action" for purposes of triggering the ESA's interagency consultation obligations. The case involves the Forest Serv...
The Ninth Circuit upheld the dismissal of a citizen group's lawsuit seeking to compel BLM to prohibit off-road vehicle use in Oregon's Little Canyon Mountain area. BLM did not make a finding that the off-road vehicle use complained of by the group had caused "considerable adverse effects" that would...
Offshore areas are under pressure to industrialize for renewable energy. To plan for offshore wind development, Rhode Island engaged in a marine spatial planning process that resulted in the Ocean Special Area Management Plan (O-SAMP), a regulatory invention of the Coastal Zone Management Act. Notably, the Rhode Island O-SAMP maps and plans for uses in federal waters beyond the three-mile line dividing state and fedeal jurisdiction, as well as within the state's territorial sea, posing a challenge to the boundaries of offshore federalism.