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...

The D.C. Circuit granted in part and denied in part petitions to review a Surface Transportation Board order authorizing construction and operation of a new rail line in the Uinta Basin. Environmental groups and a Colorado county argued the Board failed to take a "hard look" at environmental impacts...

A district court granted in part and denied in part environmental groups' motion for summary judgment in a challenge to BLM's 2020 decision to allow grazing in the Sonoran Desert National Monument. The groups argued the Bureau's amended resource management plan (RMP) violated FLPMA and the National ...

The D.C. Circuit dismissed five states' petition to review EPA's extension of a compliance deadline for a revised national drinking water regulation, which in turn extended the deadline for states to enforce conforming regulations to their own. The states argued the extension would cause their resid...

The Minnesota Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part an appellate court ruling in a challenge to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's (MPCA's) decision to issue an NPDES permit for a proposed mine and processing plant to extract copper, nickel, and precious metals in northeastern Mi...

A district court denied environmental groups' motion for summary judgment in a challenge to the Forest Service's approval of a gold exploration project in Caribou-Targhee National Forest. The groups argued the Service violated NEPA by failing to take a "hard look" at the potential effects exploratio...

A district court denied summary judgment for oil and gas leasing proponents and the state of Alaska in a challenge to President Biden's Executive Order No. 13990 and actions DOI took to implement the order's directive to place a temporary moratorium on implementation of a leasing program in the Arct...

The Tenth Circuit affirmed a district court ruling upholding BLM's approval of a development project on state and federal land in southwestern Wyoming. Conservation groups argued BLM violated NEPA by failing to adequately consider impacts of the project on sage-grouse populations and pronghorn antel...

The Ninth Circuit, 2-1, denied the city of San Francisco's challenge to an EPA order denying review of the city's NPDES permit for a combined sewer system and wastewater treatment facility. The city argued EPA violated the CWA by including in the permit two general narrative prohibitions on discharg...

The Seventh Circuit affirmed summary judgment for the Army Corps of Engineers in a challenge to its decision to continue an over century-old project that involves building river training structures to maintain the navigable channel in the Middle Mississippi River. Environmental groups argued that th...