The D.C. Circuit ordered the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Park Service to issue regulations for commercial sightseeing flights over 23 national parks. Nonprofit groups sought to compel the agencies to regulate air tours at seven parks where they had injured members, as required b...

A district court dismissed a challenge to a pipeline company's failure to seek a CWA permit for construction of a natural gas pipeline in Pennsylvania. A conservation group argued the company violated the CWA by failing to obtain an NPDES permit for its stormwater discharges after construction began...

A district court granted summary judgment to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in a challenge to the agency's decision to hold oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico. Environmental groups argued that BOEM failed to evaluate a "true" no-action alternative in its EIS by assuming that...

A district court dismissed with leave to amend a class-action challenge to a medical device company for selling talcum products in California. Plaintiffs argued the company violated California consumer protection laws by failing to warn them of carcinogenic ingredients in their products and engaging...

A district court dismissed a challenge to EPA's decision to withdraw proposed restrictions pursuant to CWA §404(c) for the proposed Pebble Mine in Southwest Alaska. Nonprofit groups argued the decision was arbitrary and capricious, in violation of the APA. EPA argued the exercise of its authority u...

The Ninth Circuit ordered EPA to respond to a petition requesting that the Agency end the use of the pesticide tetrachlorvinphos (TCVP) in household pet products. An environmental group submitted an administrative petition to cancel the registration of TCVP in 2009, following a peer-reviewed study t...

The Eighth Circuit upheld FERC's decision to place a Colorado energy wholesaler into Zone 17 of a regional transmission organization authorized by the Commission to provide electric transmission services across a multistate region. A member of Zone 17 argued that FERC's decision was arbitrary and ca...

The D.C. Circuit reversed a district court's dismissal of a challenge by scientific advocacy groups to EPA's directive barring recipients of EPA grants from serving on any of the Agency's advisory committees. The groups argued that the directive lacked a reasoned explanation for changing its policy,...

The D.C. Circuit granted a petition to review EPA's 2017 rule revising its emission standard for hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) emitted from pulp mill combustion sources. Environmental groups argued that EPA was required under §112(d)(6) of the CAA to consider the adequacy of the standard to contr...

The D.C. Circuit affirmed dismissal of an environmental group's request to compel EPA to produce guidelines for commercial or industrial solid waste incinerators (CISWI) and other categories of solid waste incinerators (OSWI). The group argued that the Agency failed to comply with nondiscretionary d...