One Hundred Miles v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

The federal district court for the Southern District of Georgia granted voluntary dismissal of a case challenging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ removal of seasonal restrictions on hopper dredging in Brunswick Harbor. The plaintiff alleged that the Corps violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), including by failing to adequately assess the effects—including climate change impacts—of eliminating the seasonal limitation on dredging. The plaintiff filed a notice of voluntary dismissal after the Corps (1) modified a dredging contract to limit dredging to a period between December 15, 2022 and March 31, 2023; (2) issued a memorandum directing that hopper dredges not be used for maintenance dredging other than during that period until further NEPA review was conducted; and (3) issued a statement confirming its intent to conduct additional NEPA review by preparing an environmental impact statement.