Comer v. Murphy Oil USA, Inc.
A district court held that the doctrines of res judicata and collateral estoppel bar individuals' trespass, nuisance, and negligence claims against numerous oil, coal, electric, and chemical companies for damages stemming from Hurricane Katrina. The individuals asserted that the companies' activitie...
Shell Oil Co. v. United States
The Federal Circuit vacated a trial judge's decision requiring the United States to indemnify certain oil companies for environmental cleanup costs under CERCLA. Because the trial judge's wife owned shares in the parent company of two of the defendant oil companies, he decided to sever the two o...
Jersey City v. Consolidated Rail Corp.
The D.C. Circuit held that a city has standing to challenge a railroad company's sale of a historic elevated railroad embankment to developers. The city argued that the sale was void because the company failed to obtain approval from the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to abandon the property...
Washington Environmental Council v. Sturdevant
A district court held that Washington state must establish reasonably available control technology (RACT) for greenhouse gas emissions. Based on its plain language, the RACT provision contained in Washington's federally approved SIP is not discretionary and requires the state's agencies to estab...
National Ass'n of Home Builders v. United States Army Corps of Engineers
The D.C. Circuit held that a home builders association lacked standing to challenge the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' issuance of nationwide permit (NWP) 46, which allows persons to secure approval for qualifying discharges into "waters of the United States" without going through the more laborious ...
Association of Irritated Residents v. California Air Resources Board
A California court held that the California Air Resources Board's "functional equivalent document" and scoping plan to reduce greenhouse gases as it relates to cap and trade complies with the California Environmental Quality Act. The court therefore lifted its May 20, 2011, peremptory writ of man...
National Ass'n of Home Builders v. Environmental Protection Agency
The D.C. Circuit held that a home builders' association lacked standing to challenge EPA's and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' determination that two reaches of the Santa Cruz River in southern Arizona constitute "traditional navigable waters" (TNW) under the CWA. Although the association has spen...