Administrative Law › Zoning, Planning & Land Use

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise: An Agency Cannot Revise Regulations In a Consent Decree

In a decision that should not have come as a surprise to anyone, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday, in Conservation Northwest v. Sherman, that the Bureau of Land Management and other agencies implementing the...more

Do We Really Have A Section 404 Permit?

The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued an opinion on April 23 in Mingo Logan Coal Co. v. United States Environmental Protection Agency upholding the Environmental Protection Agency’s...more

Warrantless Inspections are Not Warranted under the Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act

The New Jersey Supreme Court recently held that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) may not conduct a warrantless administrative inspection of a residential property subject to a Freshwater Wetlands...more

Supreme Court Willing to Reconsider Deference to Administrative Agencies

Most of the federal government's authority is exercised, on a day-to-day basis, through its administrative agencies. Central to the efficiency of those agencies — such as it is — is the judiciary's substantial deference to...more

Notice Of Public Hearing On Proposed Local Law Town Of Ovid, New York Proposed Local Law “A” Of 2013:

Notice Of Public Hearing On Town Of Ovid, New York Proposed Local Law “A” Of 2013: “A local law repealing the ‘Mobile Home Code’ and the ‘Mobile Home Ordinance for the Placement of Individual Mobile Homes within the Town of...more

City of Tombstone v. United States

BRIEF OF THE CATO INSTITUTE, THE RIO GRANDE FOUNDATION, THE MONTANA POLICY INSTITUTE, THE IDAHO FREEDOM FOUNDATION, AND THE...

This brief addresses whether the City of Tombstone is likely to succeed on its claim that its ability to access and repair the sources of its municipal water located on federal land is not trumped by the federal government’s...more

Transmission easement – selected problems

This paper analyzes the transmission easement institution based both on Polish civil law and legal solutions prepared on the basis of Polish administrative law. In the first case the analyzed solutions contained in...more

Introduction to the Ontario Municipal Board

The Ontario Municipal Board (“OMB”) is an independent tribunal established through provincial legislation that conducts hearings and makes decisions on matters that have been appealed to the Board. The OMB operates under the...more

Eminent Domain to Be Used for I-80 and I-680 Interchange

California continues to move forward with more infrastructure improvement projects. According to an article in the Daily Republic, Agency starts eminent domain proceedings for I-80/680 project, the Solano Transportation...more

What is the "relevant parcel" in a regulatory takings case?

In Lost Tree Village Corporation v. United States, the Federal Circuit addressed this question head on, concluding, to the surprise of no one, that the answer will largely depend upon the unique facts in each case. ...more

Hoku Lele, LLC v. City and County of Honolulu

Opinion of the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals

The Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals, in a unanimous panel opinion authored by Judge Foley, held that a "zoning verification" by the Director of the City and County's Department of Planning and Permitting is not a "action...more

Shell E & P Ireland Ltd v McGrath & ors

Judgement in Shell E & P Ireland Ltd v McGrath & ors

2.1 Shell issued proceedings against the six named defendants on the 4th March, 2005 with a statement of claim being delivered on the 18th April. Damages were sought together with various orders restraining the defendants...more

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (the "Act") was enacted in 2005. The Act recognizes "the history of discrimination against persons with disabilities in Ontario" and has, as its primary purpose,...more

Summary of FERC Meeting Agenda - January 2013

In This Issue: - Administrative Items - Electric Items - Gas Item - Hydro Items - Certificate Item Excerpt from Hydro Items: H-1 Annual Charges for Use of Government Lands (Docket No. RM11-6-000)...more

Ninth Circuit Upholds Idaho Roadless Rule, Finding U.S. Fish And Wildlife's Reliance On U.S. Forest Service Commitments Reasonable

In Jayne v. Sherman, --- F.3d ---, 2013 U.S. App. Lexis 417, *1 (9th Cir. Jan. 7, 2013), the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a biological opinion issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)...more

BuildSouth: Considering Construction Delivery Methods On Public Works

Originally Published In BUILDSouth, Winter 2013. Historically, in Alabama, the project delivery methods available for owners to de-sign and construct private projects have differed from those delivery methods available...more

Energy Newsletter - January 2013

In This Issue: - TRANSACTIONAL: Corporate/London; Maritime - Maritime Boundaries: UNCLOS and disputes over the right to explore and develop offshore reserves and the effect on the oil and gas industry -...more

EPA Releases 2012 Enforcement Results

Under the headline “EPA Enforcement in 2012 Protects Communities from Harmful Pollution,” the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on December 17, 2012, released its annual report of enforcement activities for the 2012...more

Supreme Court Hears Argument on Takings Case: Koontz v. St. John's River Water Management District

As we previewed in our recent "year in review" piece, the U.S. Supreme Court has some takings issues before it this term. One case, Koontz v. St. John's River Water Management District, took center stage yesterday. ...more

Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Actions

Antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) actions in the United States against foreign companies have increased markedly in recent years. The US Government has prioritized the protection of domestic industries impacted...more

Virginia Supreme Court Opinion Affecting Local Government Law, January 10, 2013

Today, the Virginia Supreme Court issued one opinion affecting Virginia local government law. Congratulations to the County of Albemarle and the City of Charlottesville! The Local Government Attorneys of Virginia supplied an...more

California Environmental Law and Policy Update - January 10, 2013

In This Issue: Environmental and Policy Focus - Supreme Court rejects Ninth Circuit ruling on County of L.A. storm water discharges; Federal judge halts major Lake Tahoe ski resort expansion; Lawsuit seeks to stop Rose...more

Recent Cases Show How CEQA’s Applicability And Substantive EIR Requirements Are Determined By Meaningful Agency Discretion

It is a fundamental precept of CEQA that it applies only to the discretionary approval of a project. If an agency has no discretion to deny or shape the project to address environmental concerns, CEQA review would be a...more

Oil And Gas Law Alert: South Dakota Considering New Oil And Gas Regulations; Increased State Oversight Likely

Rather than wait for the South Dakota Legislature to pass new laws, the South Dakota Board of Minerals and Environment has announced plans to hold a public hearing on proposed rules reforming South Dakota's regulation of the...more

South Dakota, Alaska Propose Revisions To Hydraulic Fracturing Regulations

In the past few weeks, two states in key shale regions joined the chorus of states that have updated their oil and gas rules to address the unique issues posed by high volume hydraulic fracturing operations....more