Jones v. National Marine Fisheries Service
The Ninth Circuit held that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers did not violate the CWA or NEPA when it issued a dredge and fill permit necessary for a mineral sands mining project near Coos Bay, Oregon. An environmental group argued that the Corps should have prepared an EIS, rather than an EA and FON...
Wildearth Guardians v. Jewell
The D.C. Circuit affirmed the dismissal of environmental groups' lawsuit challenging BLM's decision to lease two tracts of land in the Wyoming Powder River Basin for coal mining. The groups argued that BLM failed to adequately consider several environmental concerns, including the increase in local ...
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Inc. v. United States Department of Agriculture
A district court dismissed an animal rights group's lawsuit seeking to compel USDA to enforce the general Animal Welfare Act (AWA) regulations with respect to the mistreatment of birds and to promulgate new AWA regulations that are specific to birds. Although the group successfully demonstrated orga...
Intertribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council v. National Marine Fisheries Service
A district court held that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has until August 1, 2014, to revise its plan for protecting whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, and sea lions from U.S. Navy warfare training exercises along the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington. The court previously...
Protect Our Communities Foundation v. Salazar
A district court dismissed a complaint challenging DOI's approval of the Ocotillo Wind Energy Facility Project, a utility-scale wind power project in the Sonoran Desert in Imperial County, California, under NEPA and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). The purpose and need statement set forth in BL...