The Fifth Circuit denied a petition to review FWS' issuance of a biological opinion (BiOp) and incidental take statement (ITS) authorizing the harm or harassment of endangered ocelot or jaguarundi in connection with construction and operation of a liquefied natural gas pipeline in South Texas. Envir...

A district court granted fishermen's motion for summary judgment in a challenge to an NMFS rule that would close their swordfish fishery if they accidentally killed or injured too many marine mammals or turtles, and vacated the rule. The fishermen argued the rule conflicted with three national stand...

A district court denied environmental groups' motions to enjoin an oil company from undertaking construction this winter on an oil and gas project in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. One group argued BLM violated the ESA by inappropriately relying on uncertain Marine Mammal Protection Act miti...

A district court granted a motion to preliminarily enjoin FWS from implementing its policy barring the release of captive red wolves into a recovery area in North Carolina. Environmental groups argued FWS violated §7(a)(2) of the ESA by failing to ensure that its actions were not likely to jeopardi...

A district court denied an animal rights group's motion for summary judgment in a challenge to permits and safe harbor agreements (SHAs) issued by FWS for an experiment on nonfederal land to gain data on the relationship between barred owl removal and northern spotted owl recovery. The group argued ...

A district court granted the U.S. government's motions for preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order in a lawsuit concerning owners' care of animals at two facilities in Oklahoma.The government sought an order declaring the owners had violated the ESA and the Animal Welfare Act (AWA); e...

A district court denied an environmental group's motion for summary judgment in a challenge to FWS' denial of the group's 2014 petition to update the recovery plan for grizzly bears. The group argued that FWS' denial was arbitrary and capricious. The court concluded that while recovery plans were vi...

A district court denied FWS' and the Forest Service's motion to dismiss a challenge to their bear baiting policy for black bear hunting in national forests in Idaho and Wyoming. Environmental groups argued that the number of grizzly bears taken due to hunting black bears using bait in the states' na...

The Tenth Circuit affirmed in part and dismissed in part a lower court ruling in a challenge to actions taken by the National Park Service (NPS) regarding wildlife management on inholdings in Grand Teton National Park. Environmental groups challenged NPS' 2014 determination that a regulation prohibi...

The Ninth Circuit vacated the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM’s) approval of an offshore drilling and production facility in the Beaufort Sea. Environmental groups argued that BOEM violated NEPA by arbitrarily and capriciously estimating the environmental consequences of the alternativ...