The Sixth Circuit held that seepage from a coal-fired power plant adjacent to the Cumberland River did not violate the CWA. Environmental groups argued that the plant violated the CWA by leaking pollutants without a permit from its unlined coal ash ponds into groundwater that is hydrologically conne...

The Sixth Circuit held that seepage from a coal-fired power plant that reached a nearby lake violated RCRA, but not the CWA. Environmental groups argued that the chemicals being stored in coal ash ponds contaminated the surrounding groundwater, which in turn contaminated a nearby lake, in violation ...

A district court preliminarily enjoined BLM from conducting oil and gas lease sales under the procedures of a new BLM directive. Environmental groups argued that the directive unlawfully constrains environmental review of, and public participation in, oil and gas lease decisions that affect and thre...

A district court vacated DOI's cancellation of an oil company's oil and gas lease in Montana. The company argued that cancellation after more than 30 years for a pre-lease NEPA violation that was never disclosed to the company was arbitrary and capricious. The court agreed, concluding that the agenc...

The court upholds a hunting guide's felony convictions under the Lacey Act for providing guide services to two hunters who took caribou in violation of an Alaskan regulation that prohibits hunting on the same day a hunter is airborne. In return for his guiding services, the hunters gave the guide a ...

The court holds that a fisherman could be prosecuted under the Lacey Act for violating individual fishing quota regulations for halibut promulgated under the Northern Pacific Halibut Act. The court first holds that the alleged violations of halibut regulations do not fall within the Lacey Act's exem...

The court upholds a jury verdict that a regional rail authority and an equipment contractor are liable to the owner of a pipeline for cleanup costs the owner incurred under the Oil Pollution Act (OPA) in connection with an oil spill that occurred after the pipeline was punctured during the construct...

The court reverses a district court decision dismissing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) complaint to enforce a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) §106 unilateral administrative order (UAO) against a potentially responsible party (PRP) t...

The court reverses a district court order dismissing the U.S. indictment against a Native American for possessing hawk parts in violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). Because the Native American was not a member of a federally recognized tribe, the government charged him for violating th...

A North Dakota district court enjoined in Iowa the 2015 Clean Water Rule, which clarifies the definition of "waters of the United States" that are protected under the CWA. The governor of Iowa sought an order from the court expressly stating that the Clean Water Rule was enjoined in Iowa following t...