The Ninth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for the U.S. government in a challenge to President Obama's issuance of a proclamation expanding the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in southwestern Oregon. A timber company argued the proclamation was an invalid exercise of the Antiquities Act because ...

In an unpublished order, the Fifth Circuit, 2-1, stayed EPA's disapproval of SIPs submitted by Texas and Louisiana following the Agency's 2015 revision to the ozone NAAQS. The states moved for a stay pending review of EPA's disapproval. The court found a stay was appropriate because the states made ...

The D.C. Circuit dismissed for mootness a challenge to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's (BOEM's) 2021 oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico. Environmental groups argued the sale violated NEPA. The district court had concluded BOEM failed to properly follow NEPA procedures, and vacated ...

The Ninth Circuit reversed a district court's dismissal of an industry group's challenge to the city of Berkeley's natural gas hookup ban. The group argued the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) preempted the ban, which enacted a building code prohibiting installation of natural gas p...

The Fifth Circuit, 2-1, affirmed a district court ruling that denied the Sabine River Authority (SRA)-Louisiana's motion to dismiss a lawsuit concerning its release of water from a reservoir on the Sabine River between Texas and Louisiana. Property owners in both states argued that SRA-Louisiana and...

The Fourth Circuit, 2-1, vacated a district court ruling in a lawsuit concerning the Army Corps of Engineers' plan for maintaining a dam on the Savannah River. The state of South Carolina argued the Corps' plan violated the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act because it would...

A district court granted 24 states' motion to preliminarily enjoin EPA's and the Army Corps of Engineers' 2023 rule revising the definition of "waters of the United States" under the CWA. The states argued the rule violated the APA, the Commerce Clause, the Tenth Amendment, the Due Process Clause, a...

A district court granted a plastics company's request to dismiss a lawsuit concerning its production of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Environmental groups argued the company violated TSCA and its implementing regulations by producing PFAS without appropriate EPA approvals. The company ...

The Hawaii Supreme Court affirmed the Public Utility Commission's (PUC's) decision denying an energy company's request to supply energy to Hawaii Island using a biomass power plant. The company appealed, arguing the PUC misunderstood its mandate and held it to an unfair standard. The court disagreed...

A district court granted Texas' and Idaho's motion to preliminarily enjoin EPA's and the Army Corps of Engineers' 2023 rule revising the definition of "waters of the United States" under the CWA. The states sought to enjoin the rule within their borders, arguing it was unconstitutional and violated ...