Organized Village of Kake v. USDA

Court to Reconsider Decision on Roadless Areas of Alaska's Tongass National Forest - 8/29/14. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit announced that it would rehear a case "en banc" (before a new 11-judge panel) challenging the Tongass exemption from the Roadless Rule, a landmark conservation rule adopted in 2001 to protect nearly 60 million acres of wild national forests and grasslands from new road building and logging.

• Organized Village of Kake v. USDA - 3/26/14. In the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, Case No. 11-35517.

Lacano Investments v. Balash

Lacano Investments v. Balash - 8/28/14. In the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, Case No. 13-35854. The case involves land patents which gave title to certain streambeds in Alaska that were issued by the federal government many years before Alaska entered the Union. The panel affirmed the dismissal for lack of subject matter jurisdiction of an action against Alaska officials who determined that under the Submerged Lands Act of 1953, streambeds claimed by the plaintiffs were owned by the State of Alaska.

 

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ASARCO v. Union Pacific

ASARCO v. Union Pacific - 8/27/14. In the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, Case No. 13-35356. The district court dismissed the action under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), concluding that although Asarco's claim was timely, it was barred by a 2008 settlement agreement between the parties that settled Union Pacific's claims against Asarco at the same site. The Panel reversed and concluded that Asarco's claim was timely, but that the parties' 2008 settlement agreement did not unambiguously release Asarco's claim here. The case was dismissed.

 

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Sierra Club v. Sally Jewell

Sierra Club v. Sally Jewell - 8/26/14. In the U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, Case No. 12-5383. Environmental and historical preservation organizations were seeking to protect the historically significant West Virginia Blair Mountain Battlefield site from surface coal mining. The district court granted summary judgment against them, holding that they lack standing because they fail to demonstrate the requisite injury, causation, or redressability. The Panel disagreed and concluded that they have standing to challenge the "Keeper of the Register" decision.

 

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Correction : Greenpeace v. Dow Chemical

Correction : Yesterday we reported on the case of Greenpeace v. Dow Chemical. Please note that this is a decision from the D.C. Court of Appeals, not the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

 

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Greenpeace v. Dow Chemical

Greenpeace v. Dow Chemical - 8/21/14. In the U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, Case No. 13-CV-685. The case involves alleged corporate espionage, and the issue of whether a corporation has a claim for trespass or conversion against another for rummaging through the corporation's trash in search of "trade secrets" and other confidential information. The Panel said, ". . .Greenpeace's factual allegations may be regarded, [however] Greenpeace's legal arguments cannot prevail as a matter of law, and therefore we affirm the dismissal."

 

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Southwestern Power Admin. v. FERC

Southwestern Power Admin. v. FERC - 8/22/14. In the U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, Case No. 13-1033. The Appeals Court said in part, "Neither section 215(b) nor section 215(e), nor the two considered in combination, speaks with the requisite clarity to waive the federal government's sovereign immunity from monetary penalties. We therefore vacate the Commission's order."

 

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