A New Jersey appellate court, in an unpublished opinion, reversed and remanded portions of a lower court summary judgment against a corporation, its principal, and a general partnership for costs related to remediation of the site of a former thermometer manufacturing plant. The corporation and the ...

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court held that a natural gas company charged with violating the state's Clean Streams Law may seek preenforcement judicial review of the state environmental agency's interpretation of the statute's penalty provisions. The agency, which has assessed ongoing, multimillion dol...

A New York appellate court upheld a lower court decision invalidating a water sales agreement that would have allowed a town to sell approximately one million gallons per day from its water supply to an energy company for drilling and hydraulic fracturing in Pennsylvania. Despite the town's conclusi...

The California Supreme Court held that agencies subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) generally are not required to analyze the impact of existing environmental conditions on a project's future users or residents. But when a proposed project risks exacerbating those environmenta...

A district court granted in part and denied in part cross-motions for summary judgment in a dispute between a Native American tribe and the state of Maine concerning the tribe's regulatory jurisdiction and fishing rights along the main stem of the Penobscot River. The court agreed with the tribe tha...

A California appellate court, in an unpublished opinion, held that the California Department of Food and Agriculture's environmental impact report (EIR) for a seven-year program to control the light brown apple moth, an invasive pest, violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The age...

The Supreme Court of California held that the state fish and wildlife agency violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the California Fish and Game Code when it approved a large development project in northwest Los Angeles County. The agency prepared an environmental impact report...

In an unpublished opinion, a New Jersey appellate court held that the New Jersey Spill Compensation and Control Act (Spill Act) does not contain a "triggering notice" in order for liability to attach. Rather, a party seeking contribution must prove a nexus or "reasonable link between the discharge, ...

A district court remanded to state court personal injury and property damage claims brought by hundreds of individuals against an oil company in connection with their alleged exposure to contamination from oil field pipe. The case was originally filed in state court in 2002. It was then removed to f...

A Washington court held that the public trust doctrine applies to the protection of the atmosphere, including limits on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but denied minors' petitions for stricter GHG regulations because the state agency has already commenced rulemaking. The court held that the state h...