Sierra Club v. United States Department of Agriculture
A district court held that the USDA's Rural Utilities Service violated NEPA by failing to prepare an EIS in connection with its involvement in the expansion of a coal-fired generating plant in Holcomb, Kansas. Because the Service provided approvals and financial support to the project, the agenc...
Ohio River Valley Environmental Coalition v. Salazar
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a lower court decision dismissing an environmental group's lawsuit challenging the OSM's approval of two amendments to West Virginia's surface coal mining regulations. One amendment repeals the definition of "cumulative impact" in the state's cumulative hydrologic imp...
Northern Plains Resource Council, Inc. v. Surface Transportation Board
The Ninth Circuit affirmed in part and reversed in part the Surface Transportation Board's approval of a railroad company's applications to build a 130-mile railroad line in Southeastern Montana to haul coal. The Board prepared EISs under NEPA and included numerous mitigation measures in its approva...
San Diego v. Board of Trustees of the California State University
A California appellate court held that a state agency's certification of an environmental impact report (EIR) and approval of a master plan for the expansion of a state university violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). In certifying the EIR and approving the project, the agenc...