A district court granted BLM's request to remand without vacatur 27 oil and gas leasing decisions across five states. Environmental groups argued that BLM failed to consider the cumulative impacts of the leases as required under NEPA, and sought to have them vacated and remanded. The court found tha...

A district court dismissed for lack of standing a challenge to the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA's) rate change for customers in its seven-state service area. Environmental groups argued that TVA violated NEPA by enacting the rate change based on a deficient EA, by failing to consider the enviro...

A district court denied environmental groups' motion to preliminarily enjoin or stay a rule issued by CEQ revising the regulations for federal agencies to follow in implementing NEPA. The groups argued that the rule was inconsistent with NEPA because, among other things, it improperly removed the re...

The Ninth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for the U.S. Navy in a challenge to its decisions to relocate troops from Okinawa, Japan, to Guam and construct training facilities on the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Environmental groups argued the Navy's decisions were "connected...

A district court denied a motion to preliminarily enjoin further construction of a 429-mile natural gas pipeline in Texas. An environmental group sought to halt work on the pipeline at 129 water crossings, arguing the Army Corps of Engineers authorized construction at those crossings in violation of...

A district court denied summary judgment for environmental groups in a challenge to the Forest Service's approval of a tree-thinning project in Los Padres National Forest. The groups argued that the Service violated NEPA by failing to properly analyze the risk to endangered California condors before...

A district court granted in part and denied in part a motion to vacate BLM's approval of three leases for oil and gas development in southeastern New Mexico. An environmental group argued that BLM violated NEPA by failing to consider cumulative climate effects, failing to incorporate the social cost...

A district court granted summary judgment for environmental groups in a challenge to the Forest Service's approval of a site-specific project involving restoration activities in Payette National Forest. The groups initially argued that the project violated the National Forest Management Act (NFMA) b...

The Ninth Circuit reversed, 2-1, a lower court ruling denying a request to preliminarily enjoin a logging project in the Mendocino National Forest. An environmental group argued the Forest Service improperly determined that the project qualified for a categorical exclusion (CE) for road repair and m...

The D.C. Circuit stayed a lower court ruling that ordered the Dakota Access Pipeline to be shut down and emptied of oil within 30 days. As to the pipeline company's motion to stay the order vacating the Army Corps of Engineers' issuance of an easement under the Mineral Leasing Act, however, it found...