The Ninth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for FWS in a challenge to its barred owl removal experiment, which was designed to protect the threatened northern spotted owl. Environmental groups argued FWS violated the ESA by issuing a permit that failed to provide a "net conservation benefit," and NE...

The Ninth Circuit, 2-1, reversed a district court ruling that set aside a land exchange agreement between the Secretary of the Interior and an Alaska Native village company that wished to build a road through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge to allow access to a nearby city. The district court had h...

A district court denied summary judgment for a class of Gulf of Mexico for-hire charter boat owners and operators in a challenge to NMFS' 2020 rule requiring them to submit electronic fishing reports and use GPS tracking systems for all fishing trips. Plaintiffs argued NMFS violated the APA's notice...

A district court denied summary judgment for landowners in Idaho who sought to halt construction of a public recreational trail across their ranch. The landowners argued the Forest Service violated the ESA by failing to complete §7 consultation with FWS; the CWA by failing to disclose the nature of...

A district court vacated and remanded FWS’ 2020 rule that removed the gray wolf from the ESA list of endangered and threatened wildlife. Environmental groups argued FWS violated the ESA by failing to analyze gray wolves across the entire lower 48 states and based its delisting decision on the purp...

A district court denied advocacy groups' motion to preliminarily enjoin BLM's gather of wild horses in eastern Nevada. The groups argued BLM violated the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act by not developing a herd management area plan, which resulted in an inhumane gather process; violated NEPA...

The Fourth Circuit vacated and remanded FWS' biological opinion and incidental take statement for a proposed natural gas pipeline from West Virginia to Virginia. Environmental groups argued FWS failed to adequately consider the pipeline's environmental context while analyzing impacts to the endanger...

The Washington Supreme Court upheld the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's issuance of a marine finfish aquaculture permit to allow a fish farmer to transition from farming Atlantic salmon to steelhead trout. Conservation groups argued the Department's conclusion that an EIS was not requir...

A district court halted construction of a proposed high-voltage transmission line through the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. Environmental groups challenged FWS' original compatibility determination for the transmission line, which granted utility companies a right-of-way...