A district court denied a biologist's motion to preliminarily enjoin flood control releases from the Coyote Valley Dam into the Russian River to protect ESA-listed salmon species. The biologist sought to enjoin the Army Corps of Engineers from making flood control releases unless it determines that ...

The Second Circuit affirmed summary judgment for NMFS in a challenge to its 2020 allocation rule setting summer flounder quotas for eleven states. The state of New York argued that by failing to allocate a higher quota to New York, the rule failed to account for the long-term movement of summer flou...

A district court denied an environmental group's motion for summary judgment in a challenge to FWS' 2019 decision to reclassify the American burying beetle under the ESA from endangered to threatened. The group argued the Service violated the ESA by downlisting the beetle based on inadequate data an...

A district court denied summary judgment for nonprofit groups in a challenge to FWS' authorization of permits to import Sub-Saharan African leopard trophies from overseas sport hunting in Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The groups argued FWS violated the APA by making unsubstantiated non-detriment f...

A district court granted summary judgment for environmental groups in a challenge to FWS' 12-month finding and determination that the eastern hellbender did not warrant listing as a threatened or endangered species under the ESA. The groups argued FWS failed to articulate a rational and legal basis ...

A district court granted in part and denied in part environmental groups' motion for summary judgment in a challenge to the Forest Service's and FWS' approval of a logging project in Kootenai National Forest. The groups argued, among other things, that the Services failed to take a "hard look" at th...

A district court granted in part summary judgment for an environmental group in a challenge to EPA's issuance of recommended water quality criteria for cadmium in 2016. The group argued EPA violated the ESA by failing to consult with expert agencies before issuing the recommended criteria. The Agenc...

A district court granted environmental groups' motion for summary judgment in a challenge to FWS' decision not to designate critical habitat for the rusty patched bumble bee. The groups argued the Service had not established that the bee would not benefit from the designation, and that it failed to ...

A district court granted in part and denied in part FWS' motion to dismiss a challenge to the alleged failure to preserve gray wolves. An environmental group argued the Service violated §4(f) of the ESA because it never developed or implemented a single recovery plan for the 44-state listing of all...

A district court denied EPA's motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging its failure to perform required ESA consultations with FWS and NMFS before approving the state of Washington's limits on aquatic cyanide in 1993, 1997, and 2007. An environmental group argued that EPA failed to complete ESA §7 co...