Court Battles

NRDC et al. v. McCarthy et al.

January 22, 2021 Court CaseUtahActive

When the BLM reopened the area around Utah’s Factory Butte to unrestricted off-road vehicle use, it did so without analyzing the impacts and without public notice. So we sued.

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.

Concerned Pastors for Social Action v. Khouri

December 1, 2020 Court CaseMichigan, FlintActive

In a citizen-led case, NRDC and partners filed a lawsuit against the city of Flint and Michigan state officials for unlawfully exposing the people of Flint to lead-contaminated drinking water.

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. 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 StatesActive

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. EPA (COVID-19 Nonenforcement Policy)

July 8, 2020 Court CaseUnited StatesClosed

The EPA issued a policy allowing companies to stop monitoring and reporting their compliance with pollution rules during the pandemic. So we sued.

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.

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

February 24, 2020 Court CaseInternational, United States, AfricaActive

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.

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 CaseColoradoActive

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.

The California WaterFix project

May 13, 2019 Court CaseCaliforniaClosed

The California WaterFix project was no fix at all. In a victory for the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, California abandoned its two-tunnel project in May 2019.