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The Climate Litigation Database
Litigation

Cottonwood Environmental Law Center v. Marten

Date
2020
Geography
Montana
Part of
Cottonwood Environmental Law Center v. Marten

About this case

Filing year
2020
Status
Motion to dismiss granted.
Geography
Docket number
2:20-cv-00031
Court/admin entity
United States → Federal Courts → D. Mont.
Case category
Federal Statutory Claims → NEPA
Principal law
United States → Administrative Procedure Act (APA)United States → National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
At issue
Lawsuit alleging violations of the National Environmental Policy Act for failure to prepare supplemental analyses of national forest plans and projects in light of new information about climate change.

Documents

Filing Date
Type
Action Taken
Document
Summary
12/17/2020
Decision
Motion to dismiss granted.
View
The federal district court for the District of Montana dismissed a lawsuit that sought to compel the U.S. Forest Service to supplement the 1987 forest plan for the Custer Gallatin National Forest and for three projects authorized under the forest plan. The court rejected arguments that new climate change research and a decision to revise the 1987 forest plan to address climate change triggered supplementation requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
07/21/2020
Complaint
Complaint filed.
View
A conservation group filed a lawsuit in the federal district court for the District of Montana asserting that the U.S. Forest Service violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by failing to prepare supplemental NEPA analysis in light of new scientific information regarding climate change. The plaintiffs alleged that the Forest Service approved a watershed project and a forest health project based on an environmental impact statement for a 1987 forest plan.

Summary

Lawsuit alleging violations of the National Environmental Policy Act for failure to prepare supplemental analyses of national forest plans and projects in light of new information about climate change.