United States Ninth Circuit
Northwest Envtl. Advocates v. US Envtl. Prot. Agency, 03-74795, 06-17187, 06-17188
In an action challenging a regulation originally promulgated by the EPA in 1973 exempting certain marine discharges from the permitting scheme of sections 301(a) and 402 of the Clean Water Act (CWA), a decision vacating the regulation is affirmed where: 1) the district court had subject matter jurisdiction over the suit; 2) the EPA acted ultra vires in promulgating the regulation and its denial of plaintiffs' 1999 petition requesting a repeal of the regulation was not in accordance with law; and 3) the remedial order was a proper exercise of the district court's discretion.
Appellate Information
- Argued 08/14/2007
- Decided 07/23/2008
- Published 07/23/2008
Judges
- WILLIAM A. FLETCHER, Circuit Judge:, Before: HAWKINS, KIM McLANE WARDLAW, and W. FLETCHER, Circuit Judges.
Court
- United States Ninth Circuit
Counsel
- For Appellees:
- Deborah A. Sivas, Stanford Law School Legal Clinics, Stanford, CA, Melissa Powers, Pacific Environmental Advocacy Center, Portland, OR, Michael R. Lozeau, Alameda, CA, for the petitioners-appellants/plaintiffs-appellees., Jennifer L. Scheller, Thomas Sansoneti, Martin F. McDermott, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., Nancy J. Marvel, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, San Francisco, CA, for the respondent-appellee/defendant-appellant., Michael W. Evans; Brian K. McCalmon; James R. Weiss, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis, Washington, D.C., Tim Walker; Rachel R. Davidson, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis, San Francisco, CA, for the defendant-intervenor-appellant., Timothy Hoffman, Office of the Attorney General, Buffalo, NY, Michael A. Cox, Michigan Attorney General, Lansing, MI, Peggy Lautenschlager, Wisconsin Attorney General, Madison, WI, Mike Hatch, Attorney General of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, Lisa Madigan, Office of the Attorney General, Chicago, IL, Richard P. Mather, Department of Environmental Protection, Harrisburg, PA, Michael W. Evans, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis, for the plaintiffs-intervenors-appellees.