State v. City of Spokane Valley
A Washington appellate court held that the developer of 30 residential waterfront lots must seek a permit under the Shoreline Management Act of 1971 prior to building private docks to accompany the new homes. Because the docks would be designed for the private, noncommercial use of the owners of...
Defenders of Wildlife v. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement
A district court held that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE) did not violate NEPA or the ESA when it accepted over 300 bids for oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon disaster. An environmental group argued that the ag...
State Automobile Mutual Insurance Co. v. Flexdar, Inc.
The Indiana Supreme Court held that an insurance company must provide coverage to a manufacturer for TCE contamination even though the policy contained an absolute pollution exclusion clause. The pollution exclusion clause excluded coverage for losses resulting from "pollutants," which the polic...
Bair v. Caltrans,
A district court ordered the California Department of Transportation to revise its EA for a proposal to widen a highway through a state park home to ancient redwoods as well as an abundance of wildlife, including the marbled murrelet and spotted owl. There are a number of discrepancies and omiss...
Florida Clean Water Network v. United States Environmental Protection Agency
A district court remanded to EPA its determination that several provisions of Florida's "impaired water rule" are not new or revised water quality standards and, thus, not subject to approval by the Agency. An environmental group argued that EPA's decision was arbitrary and capricious. In order ...
Neighbors for Smart Rail v. Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority
A California appellate court held that a local board's environmental impact report (EIR) for the construction of a light rail line connecting downtown Los Angeles with Santa Monica complies with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). A coalition of homeowners' associations, community g...
Sierra Club v. Napa County Board of Supervisors
A California appellate court upheld a county board's adoption of a zoning ordinance pertaining to lot line adjustments. The ordinance continued the county's existing administrative practice of allowing lot line adjustments impacting four or fewer parcels to readjust lots included in a prior applicat...
Abatti v. Imperial Irrigation District
A California appellate court affirmed a lower court decision denying agricultural water users' claim that an irrigation district violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) when it adopted regulations for the distribution of water in the event of an actual or potential water shortag...