Hempstead County Hunting Club v. Southwestern Electric Power

Mar 12: In the U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, Case No. 08-2613. Hempstead County Hunting Club (HCHC) filed a citizen's suit against Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) pursuant to the Clean Air Act (CAA), seeking a preliminary and permanent injunction to prevent SWEPCO from commencing construction, constructing, or continuing construction of its 600-megawatt pulverized coal-fired power plant in Hempstead County, Arkansas, without first obtaining a Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permit as required by the CAA.

On the same day that it filed its complaint, HCHC filed a motion for temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction. The
district court denied the motion, and HCHC filed an interlocutory appeal, arguing that the district court abused its discretion in
denying the preliminary injunction because "SWEPCO has proposed to construct and is constructing its Hempstead Plant, although it does not have a CAA permit."

SWEPCO filed a motion to dismiss the appeal, arguing that the appeal is moot because it has now received the CAA permit and has lawfully begun construction at the site, rendering HCHC's appeal of the denial of its motion for a preliminary injunction to halt preconstruction activities moot. The Appeals Court agreed and dismissed the appeal as moot.

The Appeals Court said, "HCHC's allegation that SWEPCO is acting illegally rests on its argument that SWEPCO is engaging in construction activities without a permit. Therefore, the present case is comparable to Mississippi River Revival in which, after the MPCA issued storm permits, the district court dismissed the environmental organizations' complaints as moot, as the complaints were based on the allegation that the Cities were discharging storm waters without required permits."

Access the complete opinion (click here).