United States Ninth Circuit

In an appeal arising out of an effort by Washington state voters to "prevent the addition of new radioactive and hazardous waste" to a waste storage and disposal facility until cleanup of existing contamination is complete, the circuit court rules that a statute enacted through the passage of a voter initiative, the Cleanup Priority Act (CPA), is preempted by federal law.

Appellate Information

• Argued 12/03/2007
• Decided 05/21/2008
• Published 05/21/2008

Judges

• McKEOWN, Circuit Judge:, Before:  M. MARGARET McKEOWN and RICHARD R. CLIFTON, Circuit Judges, and WILLIAM W. SCHWARZER, District Judge.

Court

• United States Ninth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Michael Jay Robinson-Dorn (argued), Katy Anne King, Ian Jeremy Mensher, and Joseph Shaughnessy, Seattle, WA, for the intervenor-appellants.


• For Appellees:
  
• Andrew A. Fitz, Assistant Attorney General (argued);  Laura J. Watson, Assistant Attorney General;  and James R. Schwartz, Assistant Attorney General;  Olympia, WA, for the defendants-appellants, cross-appellees., John A. Bryson, Assistant United States Attorney (argued);  Matthew J. McKeown, Acting Assistant Attorney General;  Cynthia J. Morris, Assistant United States Attorney;  Kenneth C. Amaditz, Assistant United States Attorney;  and David Kaplan, Assistant United States Attorney;  Washington, DC, for the plaintiff-appellee., Colin C. Deihl (argued) and Kristen S. Carney, Faegre & Benson LLP, Denver, CO, for the intervenor-appellee Fluor Hanford, Inc., Matthew J. Segal (argued), Stephen A. Smith, and Michael K. Ryan, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis LLP, Seattle, WA, for the intervenor-appellee, cross-appellant Tri-City Industrial Development Council.