The Minnesota Supreme Court reversed an appellate court ruling that held the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission erred by approving affiliated-interest agreements for construction and operation of a power plant in a neighboring state without first considering whether environmental review was neces...
The D.C. Circuit denied a pipeline developer's petition to rehear en banc the Circuit's panel decision upholding a district court ruling that the developer's easement for the Dakota Access pipeline violated NEPA. , full_html...
A magistrate judge granted in part and denied in part environmental groups' motion for summary judgment in a challenge to USDA's decision to allow sheep used for its research service to graze in the Centennial Mountains. Environmental groups argued the decision violated NEPA by failing to analyze th...
The Tenth Circuit affirmed dismissal of a challenge to BLM's decision not to conduct an environmental analysis before re-opening an area in Utah that it had temporarily closed to off-highway vehicles (OHVs). Environmental groups argued that BLM violated NEPA by failing to analyze the environmental c...
A district court granted BLM's motion for voluntary remand in a challenge to the agency's resource management plan (RMP) and EIS for oil and gas leasing in western Colorado. Environmental groups argued that BLM violated NEPA by failing to take a hard look at indirect and cumulative combustion emissi...
The Fourth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for a coal company in a lawsuit concerning the company's alleged mine pollution discharges that had been permitted under a CWA permit. Environmental groups argued the company violated SMCRA by discharging pollutants from point sources at its now-inactive ...
A district court remanded without vacatur BLM's and the Forest Service's authorization of hydraulic fracturing in Wayne National Forest, after previously ruling the agencies violated NEPA when they authorized the activity. The court found that equitable considerations warranted remand without vacatu...
In an unpublished opinion, the Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court's denial of a motion to preliminarily enjoin a timber harvest and road construction project in the Idaho Panhandle National Forests. Environmental groups first argued the district court erred in finding that they failed to presen...
A district court upheld decisions made by BLM and the Forest Service regarding an oil and gas development project on public lands within the Ashley National Forest. An environmental group argued the agencies violated NEPA and the National Forest Management Act (NFMA) by failing to adequately assess ...
A district court blocked expansion of a Montana surface coal mine, adopting a magistrate judge's findings and recommendations. Environmental groups challenged OSM's updated EA and reissued FONSI for the expansion. The magistrate judge found that OSM failed to take a "hard look" at the indirect effec...