A California appellate court affirmed a lower court decision denying a petition to vacate the state wildlife board's decision to pay $9.98 million from the California Habitat Conservation Fund to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for the Battle Creek Salmon and Steelhead Restoration Project. The pe...

The California Supreme Court upheld an air district's technology-forcing rules that limit certain pollution-causing substances in paints and coatings. A paint association argued that the air district failed to show that technology necessary to meet the emissions limits set by the 2002 amendments...

The Montana Supreme Court upheld the state oil and gas board's issuance of 23 gas well permits to an oil company in the area known as the Cedar Creek Anticline, a major geologic feature that extends for nearly 120 miles and is home to various animal species, most notably the sage grouse. Environment...

A New York court dismissed individuals' lawsuit challenging the legality of New York's participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a regional cap-and-trade plan for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The individuals claimed they had standing because, as electric utility ratepaye...

The Federal Circuit affirmed in part and reversed in part damages awarded to the current owner of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station stemming from the government's failure to dispose of spent nuclear fuel generated at the station. The owner's legal and lobbying fees to secure approval from...

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned an $18 million fine imposed against a pipeline operator for storing liquid mercury at one of its facilities without a permit in violation of RCRA. In Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, the Court held that the Sixth Amendment's jury-trial guarantee requires th...

The Third Circuit vacated as moot a lower court decision that dismissed a contractor's third-party complaint against Pennsylvania and the commonwealth's natural resources agency for cleanup costs associated with Quehanna Wild Area Nuclear Site. The contractor argued that the lower court erred by...

A district court dismissed environmental groups' complaint against two railroad companies alleging that diesel particulate matter (DPM) emitted by diesel-engine locomotives, trucks, and other equipment has caused and is causing an imminent and substantial risk to human health and the environment...