Environmental, Energy and Climate Change Law & Regulation Reporter
ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS
Proposed ‘Preserve California’ Legislation Seeks to Safeguard California from Anticipated Environmental Cutbacks and Eliminations from the Trump Administration127
PENALTIES AND SANCTIONS
Recent Investigations, Settlements, Penalties and Sanctions129
LAWSUITS FILED OR PENDING
Environmental Groups Sue EPA for Failing to Act on Petition for Clean Air Act Permits at Natural Gas Plant132
RECENT FEDERAL DECISIONS
Circuit Court of Appeals:
Ninth Circuit Reverses District Court Decision Involving EPA Registration of Pesticide and Alleged Violation of the Endangered Species Act134
Center for Biological Diversity v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ___F.3d___, Case No. 14-16977 (9th Cir. Feb. 2, 2017).
D.C. Circuit Finds It Lacks Jurisdiction to Review EPA’s Decision to Not Follow Eighth Circuit Clean Water Act Precedent135
Center for Regulatory Reasonableness v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ___F.3d___, Case No. 14-1150 (D.C. Cir. Feb. 28, 2017).
Divided Fifth Circuit Decides Areas Uninhabitable by a Species May Nonetheless Be Designated that Species’ ‘Critical Habitat’ under the
ESA137
Markle Interests, L.L.C., et al. v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, et al., ___F.3d___, Case Nos. 14-31008, Cons. with 14-31021 (5th Cir. Feb 13, 2017).
Fourth Circuit Finds State Moratorium on Conventional Uranium Mining Survives Federal Preemption Challenge under Atomic Energy Act138
Virginia Uranium, Inc. v. Warren, ___F.3d___, Case No. 16-1005 (4th Cir. Feb. 17, 2017).
District Court:
District Court Affirms State Court Determination—Finds Plaintiff Cannot Use CERCLA as a Shield to Block a State Cleanup Plan140
Atlantic Richfield Company v. Christian, ___F.Supp.3d___, Case No. 15-83-BU-BMM (D. Mt. Feb. 15, 2017).
District Court Rejects City’s Challenge to Clean Water Act TMDL for Lack of Standing and Ripe-
ness142
City of Kennett v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ___F.Supp.3d___, Case No. 1:14-CV-33-SNLJ (E.D. Mo. Feb. 28, 2017).
District Court Dismisses Clean Air Act ‘BACT’ Case against Geothermal Plants144
Global Community Monitor v. Mammoth Pacific, L.P., ___F.Supp.3d___, Case No. 2:14-CV-01612-MCE-KJN (E.D. Cal. Feb. 1, 2017).
District Court Finds Repeated, Egregious Exceedances of Anticipated ‘Take’ Levels of Species under an ESA Take Permit Trigger Reinitiated Formal Consultation147
Hoopa Valley Tribe v. National Marine Fisheries Service, ___F.Supp.3d___, Case No. 16-cv-04294 (N.D. Cal. Feb. 8, 2017).
District Court Grants Environmental Plaintiffs Who Achieved ‘Limited Success’ in Clean Air Act Litigation, $1.5 Million in Attorneys’ Fees149
Sierra Club et al. v. Talen Montana LLC, et al., ___F.Supp.3d___, Case No. 1:2013cv00032 (D. Mt. Feb. 15, 2017).
District Court Finds Government’s Current CERCLA Action against Successors-in-Interest is Not Barred by Former Owner/Operator’s Bankruptcy or Earlier RCRA Settlement151
U.S. v. Land O’Lakes, Inc. and Cushing, Oklahoma Brownfields, LLC, ___F.Supp.3d___, Case No. CIV-16-170-R (W.D. Ok. Feb. 22, 2017).
