9th Circuit To Rule On Environmentalists' Standing In Key NEPA Challenge

摘要

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit will rule on the scope of when environmentalists can challenge the adequacy of environmental assessments under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) on climate grounds, after rejecting the Obama administration's request for voluntary remand of advocates' pending NEPA lawsuit. In the suit, environmentalists are appealing a lower court ruling that found they lacked standing to challenge the NEPA review of oil and gas leasing on first-time claims of inadequate analysis greenhouse gas (GHG) and other climate issues. The 9th Circuit's April 25 order to hear the appeal and reject remand is a potential win for advocates, who opposed remanding the case because they want a court ruling that would apply to other 9th Circuit cases.