The court holds that the Secretary of Commerce complied with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act in setting commercial harvest quotas for Atlantic sharks in its fishery management plan (FMP) for 1997, but violated the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) in determining that the ...

The court affirms a district court's decision that an environmental group, alleging that the management of Lake Mead was jeopardizing the continued existence of the southwestern willow flycatcher, failed to provide the requisite notice to invoke subject matter jurisdiction under the Endangered Speci...

The court holds that the Bureau of Reclamation violated the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by renewing water supply contracts with several water districts in California before consulting with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The districts rely ...

The court holds that a landowner cannot recover from previous site owner petroleum contamination cleanup costs it incurred after it invoked Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) §7002's statutory process for bringing a citizen suit. The court first holds that a private party cannot recover ...

The court holds that New York's zero emission vehicle (ZEV) sales requirement for model years 1998-2002 is preempted by Clean Air Act (CAA) §209. The court first holds that the ZEV sales requirement must be considered a standard "relating to the control of emissions" and is, therefore, within the p...

The court holds that a Florida county's Endangered Species Act (ESA) §10 incidental take permit does not authorize it to take protected sea turtles through purely mitigatory measures associated with artificial beachfront lighting. The court first holds that the county lacks the U.S. Fish and Wildli...

The court holds that bankruptcy discharges a state environmental agency's environmental liability claims against an oil company believed to be the successor to the owner of an abandoned oil site where hazardous substances had been released. The court first holds that the state agency's environmental...

The court holds that the Secretary of the Interior violated the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by failing to designate critical habitat for the silvery minnow. The Secretary claimed that he could not complete the minnow's critical habitat designation due to fiscal limitations imposed by Congress. The ...

The court denies a state's motion to stay a decision that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) improperly decided that the evolutionary significant unit of coho salmon did not warrant listing as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The court first holds that the state...

The court holds unripe for review the Interior Board of Land Appeals' (IBLA's) ruling that the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) lacks jurisdiction to order a mining company to reduce acid mine drainage seeping from a mining operation in West Virginia. The IBLA ruled that th...