A district court reinstated a 2016 moratorium on new coal leasing on public lands that had been lifted by a DOI secretarial order in 2017. Environmental groups, states, and a Native American tribe initially filed suit challenging DOI's decision to lift the moratorium, and the court determined the de...
A district court granted in part and denied in part federal agencies' motion to dismiss a NEPA challenge to the Biden Administration's immigration actions. A coalition seeking immigration reform argued that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of State, and DOJ failed to follow ...
The D.C. Circuit denied a Native American tribe's petition to review NRC's decision to grant a source material license for uranium extraction from ore beds in South Dakota. The tribe initially raised challenges to the license application and NRC's NEPA and National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) p...
A district court granted summary judgment for environmental groups in a challenge to two BLM resource management plans for coal leasing in Montana and Wyoming. The groups argued BLM violated NEPA by failing to consider a reasonable range of alternatives and failing to consider the downstream impacts...
The D.C. Circuit denied environmental groups' and township's petitions to review FERC's approval of an application for a certificate of public convenience and necessity for a proposed natural gas pipeline project in Pennsylvania and Delaware. The petitioners argued FERC violated NEPA by failing to a...
Turning Participation Into Power: A Water Justice Case Study presents a rich, conceptual framework with the Constituent Empowerment Model (CE Model) that mirrors the foundational work of Dr. Robert Bullard’s Environmental Justice Framework in its very community-centered perspective. The article also integrates the Jemez Principles as a practical approach to community oversight and accountability. Using Baltimore as a case study added much value to the topic, as the state of Maryland is known for more progressive legislation regarding environment; however, Prof.
This Article offers a revamped model of participatory governance—the Constituent Empowerment Model (CE Model)—which affirmatively shifts power to the voices of marginalized constituents so that they can influence governmental policy. To illustrate how a CE system might be constructed, the Article examines a model recently adopted in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, that is designed to shift the balance of power between the water utility and its customers.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed dismissal of a challenge to FWS' 2018 decision to modify certain trails in the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge. Community groups argued the modifications were significant and that FWS failed to prepare a supplemental EIS and relied on categorical exclusions based on a...