Court Battles

Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association v. Raimondo

March 1, 2022 Court CaseUnited States, EastClosed

With our partners, NRDC is defending the first and only national monument in the Atlantic Ocean.

Communities for a Better Environment v. Corteva Inc. et al.

February 15, 2022 Court CaseCaliforniaActive

NRDC is working with a top environmental justice watchdog to clean up a chemical plant in California.

Conservation Law Foundation v. Biden (Northeast Canyons and Seamounts)

November 11, 2021 Court CaseUnited States, EastClosed

NRDC and our partners are suing to restore full protections to this special monument.

Fastlane Transportation, Inc. et al. v. City of Los Angeles and BNSF Railway Co.

September 21, 2021 Court CaseCalifornia, Los AngelesActive

When the city of Los Angeles approved the construction of a noisy, polluting rail yard in a low-income community of color, NRDC went to court on behalf of local groups.

Dirty Water Rule

September 1, 2021 Court CaseUnited StatesClosed

The Trump-era rule narrowed the scope of the Clean Water Act by revoking federal protections for countless streams, wetlands, and other waters.

NRDC v. Federal Communications Commission

August 13, 2021 Court CaseUnited StatesClosed

The FCC attempted to sidestep environmental review and public participation concerning the deployment of 5G wireless infrastructure. NRDC and our allies challenged their moves in court–and won.

League of Conservation Voters v. Trump (Offshore Leasing Ban)

April 13, 2021 Court CaseUnited StatesClosed

Our broad coalition is fighting the Trump administration to keep our coasts permanently off-limits to oil and gas drilling.

NRDC et al. v. McCarthy et al.

April 8, 2021 Court CaseUtahClosed

When the BLM reopened the area around Utah’s Factory Butte to unrestricted off-road vehicle use, it put this fragile ecosystem at risk.

National Audubon Society et al. v. David Bernhardt et al.

February 17, 2021 Court CaseAlaska, ArcticActive

NRDC and allies are suing over the Trump administration’s decision to open the heart of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas leasing.

Diné Citizens Against Ruining Our Environment et al. v. U.S. Bureau of Land Management et al.

January 20, 2021 Court CaseNew MexicoActive

The BLM failed to consult tribal communities and consider environmental impacts before it approved fracking permits in the Greater Chaco region of New Mexico.

Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance et al. v. David Bernhardt et al.

January 8, 2021 Court CaseUtahActive

The Trump administration snuck around a new conservation law to approve helium drilling in the iconic Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness. So we’re suing.

South Carolina Coastal Conservation League v. Ross

November 30, 2020 Court CaseSouth Carolina, EastClosed

NRDC, partners, and coastal states sued to stop seismic blasting in the Atlantic Ocean, which threatens marine life like the endangered North Atlantic right whale.

Western Organization of Resource Councils et al. v. U.S. Bureau of Land Management et al.

October 21, 2020 Court CaseMontana, WyomingClosed

The Bureau of Land Management failed to comply with the National Environmental Protection Act when it approved management plans in the Powder River Basin.

NRDC v. R. Zinke et al. (International Wildlife Conservation Council)

September 28, 2020 Court CaseInternational, United States, AfricaClosed

The Trump administration’s International Wildlife Conservation Council—which promoted the killing of elephants, lions, and giraffes by U.S. trophy hunters—was unbalanced, deceitful, and illegal.

NRDC v. David L. Bernhardt et al. (Rusty Patched Bumblebee Habitat)

September 1, 2020 Court CaseEast, MidwestClosed

More than two years since the rusty patched bumblebee was listed as an endangered species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has yet to designate and protect the bee’s critical habitat, as required by law.

Environmental Justice Health Alliance et al. v. Council on Environmental Quality et al. (NEPA Rule)

August 6, 2020 Court CaseUnited StatesActive

The Trump administration is rolling back critical environmental reviews and blocking public participation under the guise of “streamlining.” So we’re suing.

NRDC v. E. Scott Pruitt et al. (Enlist Duo)

July 23, 2020 Court CaseUnited StatesClosed

The EPA approved the pesticide Enlist Duo despite its serious risks to people and monarch butterflies. So NRDC challenged the EPA’s decision—and won an important victory.

NRDC et al. v. Wilbur Ross et al. (Vaquita)

April 22, 2020 Court CaseUnited States, MexicoClosed

NRDC and partners are fighting to save the last of the vaquitas.

Public Citizen, NRDC, and Communication Workers of America, AFL-CIO, v. Donald Trump

January 10, 2020 Court CaseUnited StatesClosed

When President Trump issued his alarming “2-for-1” executive order, NRDC and our partners quickly sued. We’ll continue to fight the administration’s attempts to steamroll public health and environmental safeguards.

Wilderness Workshop et al. v. U.S. Bureau of Land Management et al.

November 15, 2019 Court CaseColoradoClosed

In 2015, BLM opened hundreds of thousands of acres in the Colorado River Valley to oil and gas development without ever analyzing and disclosing the environmental impacts. So we sued.