The Fourth Circuit granted federal agencies' and Mountain Valley Pipeline proponents' motion to dismiss challenges to agency actions that would enable final construction and initial operation of the 303-mile natural gas pipeline from West Virginia to Virginia. Environmental groups had petitioned the...

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...

The California Supreme Court affirmed an appellate court ruling in favor of oil producers and mineral rights holders in a challenge to a county ordinance banning oil and gas wastewater injection and impoundment and drilling of new oil and gas wells. The plaintiffs argued the ordinance was preempted ...

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...

A district court granted a pipeline company's motion to preliminarily enjoin enforcement of an Iowa county zoning ordinance promulgated in response to the company's proposed carbon dioxide pipeline. The company argued the ordinance was preempted by the federal Pipeline Safety Act and by Iowa Code §...