Law Commons^™

Natural Resources Defense Council V. United States Environmental Protection Agency, Erick A. Valencia

Public Land & Resources Law Review

In Natural Resources Defense Council v. United States Environmental Protection Agency, the court was asked to review the EPA’s Vessel General Permit that set limits on the discharge of pollutants in a ship’s ballast water. Ballast water discharge has become one of the major contributors to the spread of invasive species, especially in the Great Lakes where short voyages allow organisms to easily survive in ballast water. The EPA’s lack of information was a problem of its own making because it prohibited the Science Advisory Board and National Academy of Sciences from adequately exploring available technology before setting the effluent …

Pollinator Stewardship Council V. United States Environmental Protection Agency, 800 F.3d 1176 (9th Cir. 2015), Hallie Bishop

Public Land & Resources Law Review

No abstract provided.

Wyoming V. United States Department Of Interior, Keatan J. Williams

Public Land & Resources Law Review

In a scathing opinion, the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming granted a motion for preliminary injunction, effectively blocking the BLM’s new Fracking Rule from being implemented on federal and tribal lands in the United States. The court held not only was the BLM’s new rule likely arbitrary and capricious, but the department lacked the authority to regulate fracking. The opinion relied on the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Energy Policy Act to determine that Congress explicitly removed fracking from federal regulation. Pending an appeal, the new Fracking Rule will not be implemented.

Organized Village Of Kake V. United States Department Of Agriculture, Maresa A. Jenson

Public Land & Resources Law Review

In an en banc rehearing, the Ninth Circuit, in Organized Village of Kake v. United States Department of Agriculture, determined that the Roadless Rule should apply to the largest National Forest, the Alaskan Tongass. The significant socioeconomic impacts on Southeast Alaska contrasted with important environmental roadless values make the management of the Tongass National Forest unique and controversial. The Ninth Circuit concluded that Alaska, an intervener, had standing to appeal and that the 2003 Tongass Exception to the Roadless Rule was arbitrary and capricious.

Agdaagux Tribe Of King Cove V. Jewell, Taylor R. Thompson

Public Land & Resources Law Review

In a lengthy opinion by the Alaska District Court, the battle for a proposed medical emergency road through the Izembek National Refuge stalled. The court held that the Department of the Interior’s No Action Alternative blocked the construction of the road was decided in accordance within the Department’s authority. It is not the end of the battle over the road, as the court alluded that Congress may be able to change this decision.

Tulalip Tribes V. Suquamish Indian Tribe, Kevin B. Rechkoff

Public Land & Resources Law Review

In a longstanding battle between two entrenched Indian tribes, the Ninth Circuit reaffirmed fishing access doctrines established in the Boldt Decisions. Consequentially, the Boldt Decisions have been confirmed as the preeminent authority in determining tribal fishing rights in conjunction with treaties and inter-tribal conflicts. By applying the Boldt standards of “usual and accustomed,” the Ninth Circuit demonstrated its commitment to giving tribes a wide breadth in establishing claims to fishing grounds off reservation. In the future, fishing treaty litigation will continue with the Boldt standard’s low burden of proof for tribes asserting fishing access rights.

Environmental Integrity Project V. Mccarthy, Lindsay Ward

Public Land & Resources Law Review

In addition to stocking grocery stores and restaurants with beef, chicken and milk, CAFOs generate another product—manure. The EPA’s decision to withdraw a proposed rule compelling CAFOs to provide information to aid the agency in regulating their discharge of pollutants into the waters of the United States was upheld by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The court concluded that the EPA’s decision was “adequately explained” and “coherent,” supported by the administrative record, and did not conflict with existing law.

Pit River Tribe V. Bureau Of Land Management, 793 F.3d 1147 (9th Cir. 2015), Kathryn S. Ore

Public Land & Resources Law Review

In Pit River Tribe v. Bureau of Land Management, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit explained the correct application of the zone of interests test and further solidified the importance of proper NEPA and NHPA analysis in geothermal leasing. The court reaffirmed that the BLM and the Forest Service must conduct additional cultural and environmental analysis when granting lease extensions under the Geothermal Steam Act. Furthermore, it rejected the BLM’s decision to grant forty-year lease continuations to unproven geothermal leases by treating them as a unit rather than individually.

Sierra Club V. United States Army Corps Of Engineers, 803 F.3d 31 (D.C. Cir. 2015), Ariel E. Overstreet-Adkins

Public Land & Resources Law Review

Despite the majority’s “needlessly circuitous” route, as described by concurring Judge Brown, Sierra Club v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stands as a limit of the application of NEPA to a private pipeline constructed largely on private land. While the main issue identified by the District of Columbia Circuit Court was the scope of environmental review required under NEPA, the court also addressed issues dealing with the ESA and the CWA relating to the construction and operation of a pipeline in the Midwest. The court held that under these circumstances, NEPA review was mandated only for those small stretches where …

Cascadia Wildlands V. Bureau Of Indian Affairs, Hannah R. Seifert

Public Land & Resources Law Review

Cascadia Wildlands v. Bureau of Indian Affairs exemplifies the discretion agencies enjoy when determining how to organize and present information in environmental assessments. In a case of first impression, the court relaxed the extent of analysis necessary to comply with NEPA by allowing reasonably foreseeable future projects to be aggregated with past projects. Additionally, the court permitted the BIA to circumvent the FWS’s Recovery Plan for the northern spotted owl by holding that the CRA was subject only to the standards and guidelines of federal forest plans, not specific recovery plans.

Transcending Boundaries: Achieving Success In Cooperative Management Of Natural Resources, Public Land & Resources Law Review

Public Land & Resources Law Review

This year’s conference examines the innovative management of natural resources across international, state, local, and tribal boundaries. Our panelists will share success stories of transboundary resource management on our three conference panels related to water, wildlife, and climate and energy.

Rather than review historic problems, this conference focuses on creative solutions and success stories. Our goals are to provide a national platform to present new scholarship, to examine significant current events, to foster collaboration, and to inform future policy.

Thank you all for attending,

Public Land & Resources Law Review Editors and Staff

Cottonwood Environmental Law Center V. United States Forest Service, Maresa A. Jenson

Public Land & Resources Law Review

Overturning thirty-year-old precedent, Cottonwood Environmental Law Center v. United States Forest Service held that merely proving a procedural violation of the ESA is no longer enough to show irreparable injury in support of injunctive relief. The Ninth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for Cottonwood, concluding the Forest Service violated the ESA by not reinitiating consultation, but declined to provide injunctive relief because Cottonwood failed to show irreparable injury to the Canadian lynx.

Michigan V. Environmental Protection Agency, Lindsay Ward

Public Land & Resources Law Review

What’s the price of clean air? The Supreme Court found that the EPA, tasked with setting limits on hazardous pollutants, unreasonably declined to consider cost when regulating power plant emissions under the Clean Air Act. 42 U.S.C. § 7412 gives the EPA the authority to regulate power plants under the Clean Air Act as long as the Agency finds that “regulation is appropriate and necessary.” In the instant case, the EPA concluded that regulation met both these requirements. Finding the agency’s decision unreasonable, the majority struck down the EPA’s rule. The minority, however, asserted that the decision was unsound; it …

Alaska Wilderness League V. Jewell, Kevin B. Rechkoff

Public Land & Resources Law Review

The Ninth Circuit employed Chevron deference in their decision to confirm BSEE’s approval of Shell’s Oil Spill Response Plans. This holding represents a potential nail in the coffin for the parties seeking to block offshore drilling permits. Although the dissent refutes the majority’s interpretation of the ESA and NEPA consultation processes, this case stands as an example of how ambiguity in statutory language can have dire consequences on citizens seeking to enforce harsher environmental standards under an APA challenge.

Western Watersheds Project V. Jewell, Hannah S. Cail

Public Land & Resources Law Review

The Idaho District Court granted WWP’s motion for summary judgment and denied those of the BLM and intervener Cattle Associations. WWP alleged the BLM failed to protect sage grouse in some 600 grazing permit decisions issued by the Burley Field Office. The court found the decisions insufficient under NEPA because the BLM did not consider the cumulative impacts of grazing permit renewals on sage grouse.

United States V. Ohio, Hannah R. Seifert

Public Land & Resources Law Review

United States v. Ohio is a concise example of the judiciary’s decisive role in ascertaining the intention of parties to an agreement. Relying primarily on the original documents memorializing a cost-sharing agreement to discern intent, the court invalidated two subsurface mining leases entered into between Ohio and Buckingham Coal Company for lack of prior federal approval. The court determined that requiring pre-approval for any lease involving Project lands was consistent with the foundational and foremost purpose of the Project to control flooding.

Wildearth Guardians V. United States Office Of Surface Mining, Reclamation And Enforcement, Erick A. Valencia

Public Land & Resources Law Review

The Colorado District Court in WildEarth Guardians v. United States Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement ordered the United States Office of Surface Mining to reevaluate the environmental impact of an approved mining modification plan for the Colowyo Mine after the Office failed to involve the public in the approval process and did not take a “hard look” at the modification’s effects on the environment as required by NEPA. Even though the Office of Surface Mining also approved the Trapper Mine’s modification plan without fulfilling NEPA’s requirements, WildEarth Guardians was left without a remedy regarding that mine because the …

Oneok, Inc. V. Learjet, Inc., Keatan J. Williams

Public Land & Resources Law Review

In an ongoing dispute, the Supreme Court has allowed retail natural gas purchasers to bring state law anti-trust claims against natural gas pipelines for price manipulation. While holding that the Natural Gas Act does not create field pre-emption over these claims, the opinion hinted that there might still be conflict pre-emption. Justice Scalia, in his dissent, argued forcefully that the majority had misapplied and misconstrued the applicable case law, which, he argued, clearly created field pre-emption.

Belcourt Public School District V. Davis, Hallie Bishop

Public Land & Resources Law Review

No abstract provided.

Big Lagoon Rancheria V. State Of California, Wesley J. Furlong

Public Land & Resources Law Review

The Ninth Circuit’s en banc opinion in Big Lagoon Rancheria v. California is, thus far, perhaps the most important Indian law decision in 2015. Rejecting its three-judge panel’s opinion, the Ninth Circuit, en banc, affirmed the importance of defending tribal sovereignty against invidious state actions. The court denounced California’s use of Carcieri to de-recognize the Big Lagoon Rancheria and rescind the trust status of its land, characterizing it as “a belated collateral attack” on the Tribe and an “end-run” around the APA.

High Country Conservation Advocates V. United States Forest Service, 52 F. Supp. 3d 1174 (D. Colo. 2014), Kathryn S. Ore

Public Land & Resources Law Review

High Country Conservation Advocates v. United States Forest Service concerns the United States Forest Service’s and the Bureau of Land Management’s authorizations of on-the-ground mining exploration activities in the Sunset Roadless Area of western Colorado. The United States District Court for the District of Colorado’s holding has far-reaching consequences for federal agencies’ analysis and disclosure of impacts on the climate under the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”). In addition to bolstering the Plaintiffs’ recent successes at establishing legal standing to challenge federal agencies’ disclosures and analyses of impacts on the climate under NEPA, High Country is the first case to …

Crow Tribe Of Indians – Montana Compact, Ariel E. Overstreet-Adkins

Public Land & Resources Law Review

This order from the Montana Water Court approved the Crow Water Compact over objections by non-tribal water users in Montana. Although the Objectors have appealed the decision to the Montana Supreme Court, this order represents the next-to-last step in a process, started in 1979, to define and quantify the reserved water rights for current and future uses of the Crow Nation in Montana. The order provides a clear roadmap for other Montana tribes still seeking to achieve approval of a water compact by the Montana Water Court, and for objectors who would attempt to invalidate a compact in future proceedings.

Town Of Barnstable V. O’Connor, Taylor R. Thompson

Public Land & Resources Law Review

The United States Circuit Court of the First Circuit’s decision in Town of Barnstable v. O’Connor reignites a hotly debated offshore wind plant proposal. The First Circuit held that the Ex parte Young exception to the Eleventh Amendment applied because the complaint alleged an ongoing violation of federal law and the relief sought was prospective. The court did not discuss the merits of the claim, so the fight against the proposed wind plant powers on.

Alliance For The Wild Rockies And Native Ecosystems Council V. Krueger, 950 F. Supp. 2d 1196 (D. Mont. 2013), Nicholas R. Vandenbos

Public Land & Resources Law Review

No abstract provided.

Columbia River Treaty Renewal And Sovereign Tribal Authority Under The Stevens Treaty “Right-To-Fish” Clause, David A. Bell

Public Land & Resources Law Review

No abstract provided.

Finding Middle Ground On Wilderness: From The Wilderness Act Of 1964 To The Forest Jobs And Recreation Act Of 2013, Colin W. Phelps

Public Land & Resources Law Review

No abstract provided.

Reconsidering The Original Founding Of Indian And Non-Indian America: Why A Second American Founding Based On Principles Of Deep Diversity Is Needed, Raymond Cross

Public Land & Resources Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Remarkable Odyssey Of Stream Access In Montana, Robert N. Lane

Public Land & Resources Law Review

No abstract provided.

Using The New Equal Protection To Challenge Federal Control Over Tribal Lands, Alex T. Skibine

Public Land & Resources Law Review

No abstract provided.

Editor's Letter

Public Land & Resources Law Review

No abstract provided.