A Minnesota appellate court affirmed in part and reversed in part the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's (MPCA's) issuance of a permit for a copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota that would allow discharging water from mine facilities. Environmental groups and a tribal band argued the MPCA ...

A district court vacated and remanded BOEM's approval of an oil and gas lease sale covering 80.8 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico. Environmental groups argued that BOEM violated NEPA by failing to include foreign greenhouse gas emissions in its emissions calculation for the "no action" alternativ...

The Fourth Circuit vacated and remanded the Forest Service's and BLM's renewed records of decision (RODs) for an interstate natural gas pipeline to cross through Jefferson National Forest. The groups argued the agencies violated NEPA, the National Forest Management Act (NMFA), and the Mineral Leasin...

The Washington Supreme Court upheld the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's issuance of a marine finfish aquaculture permit to allow a fish farmer to transition from farming Atlantic salmon to steelhead trout. Conservation groups argued the Department's conclusion that an EIS was not requir...

An Illinois appellate court set aside the Illinois Commerce Commission's decision to allow the Dakota Access oil pipeline to double its capacity by adding more pumping stations. Environmental groups argued the Commission, in its assessment of the public need for the stations, misinterpreted a prior ...

A district court halted construction of a proposed high-voltage transmission line through the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. Environmental groups challenged FWS' original compatibility determination for the transmission line, which granted utility companies a right-of-way...

A district court granted environmental groups' motion for summary judgment in a challenge to FWS' 2019 determination that listing the Yellowstone bison as endangered or threatened under the ESA was not warranted. The groups argued the determination, among other things, failed to properly consider wh...

The D.C. Circuit remanded FERC orders rejecting an Oklahoma city's complaint that a hydroelectric dam overseen by the Commission caused periodic flooding. The city argued that the dam operator violated Article 5 of its license, which FERC had issued under the Federal Power Act, and sought to require...

The D.C. Circuit remanded DOE's 2020 rule that set more stringent energy efficiency standards than those of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers for commercial packaged boilers. Industry groups argued, among other things, that the Department inflated the econ...

A district court vacated EPA's denial of an environmental group's petition to issue new and revised water quality standards for the state of Washington. The group argued that EPA acted arbitrarily and capriciously in denying its petition, and sought to have the denial vacated and the petition remand...