The Ninth Circuit affirmed in part and reversed in part summary judgment for BLM in challenges to approval of an oil and gas project in the northern Arctic. Environmental groups argued BLM failed to consider a reasonable range of alternatives as required under NEPA, its mandate to protect surface re...

The Ninth Circuit affirmed in part and reversed in part summary judgment for BLM in challenges to approval of an oil and gas project in the northern Arctic. Environmental groups argued BLM failed to consider a reasonable range of alternatives as required under NEPA, its mandate to protect surface re...

The U.S. Supreme Court, 6-3, held that the state of Texas and a private business, which petitioned to review NRC's decision to grant a renewable 40-year license to a private entity seeking to store spent nuclear fuel at an off-site facility in West Texas, were not entitled to judicial review because...

A district court reversed its prior dismissal of a challenge to four BLM leasing decisions concerning federal land in Utah. An environmental group had argued BLM violated NEPA and the ESA by failing to fully analyze the environmental, social, direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of the lessees' ...

A district court granted in part and denied in part an aerospace company's motion to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that it failed to address the release of hazardous materials on an 18-acre property in the town of Oyster Bay between 1949 and 1962 and that has since become a community park. The town&nbs...

The U.S. Supreme Court, 8-0, held that the D.C. Circuit failed to afford the Surface Transportation Board the substantial deference NEPA requires in a challenge to the Board's authorization of a new 88-mile rail line in the Uinta Basin, and that the court incorrectly interpreted NEPA to require the ...

The Ninth Circuit affirmed in part and reversed in part summary judgment for the Forest Service in a challenge to approval of a forest thinning project in Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. A conservation group argued the Service was required under NEPA to repeat the public comment process after a ...

A district court granted environmental groups' motion for summary judgment in a challenge to BLM's approval of a commercial logging project on federal land in Oregon. The groups argued BLM violated NEPA by failing to take a "hard look" at the environmental impacts and failing to prepare an EIS. The ...

The Ninth Circuit affirmed in part and vacated in part summary judgment for USDA's Wildlife Services in a challenge to the authorization of a predator damage and conflict management program in Nevada wilderness areas. Environmental groups argued the program violated the Wilderness Act because p...

The D.C. Circuit denied environmental groups' petitions to review DOE's authorization of a project to export from Alaska to non-free trade countries up to 20 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per annum for 30 years. The groups argued DOE misconceived the "public interest" and failed...