Friends of Animals v. Romero
The Second Circuit affirmed denial of a challenge to NPS' approval of a white-tailed deer management plan for the Fire Island National Seashore. An animal rights group argued that NPS violated NEPA because it lacked information about deer movement on the island that was essential to the decisionmaki...
Center for Biological Diversity v. Everson
A district court held that FWS' decision to list the northern long-eared bat as threatened rather than endangered under the ESA was arbitrary and capricious. Environmental groups argued that the rationale FWS relied on to reach its decision—that the species had not yet suffered declines and appear...
"Significant Portion of Its Range": Statutory Interpretation of the ESA
The Endangered Species Act defines an endangered species as one at risk of extinction “throughout all or a significant portion of its range.” The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has repeatedly defined “significant portion” to mean an area of the range essential to species persistence. This definition is redundant, and various iterations of the definition have been struck down in the past. At the same time, other proposals to list a species only in a portion of its range fail to satisfy the statutory requirements.
NorthMet Project Permit to Mine Application Dated December 2017
A state appellate court reversed the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' decisions to deny petitions for a contested-case hearing and issue mine and dam safety permits for a proposed copper-nickel-platinum mine in northeastern Minnesota. Environmental groups petitioned the Department for a he...
Native Village of Nuiqsut v. Bureau of Land Management
A district court denied a request to invalidate BLM's approval of exploratory drilling in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A). Environmental groups and a Native village first argued that BLM's EA failed to account for significant impacts to caribou and subsistence activities, in violation ...
WildEarth Guardians v. United States Army Corps of Engineers
The Tenth Circuit held that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was not required to consult with FWS about alternative water management policies in the Rio Grande River that would help protect the endangered southwestern willow flycatcher and the Rio Grande silvery minnow. An environmental group argued...