The federal district court for the Northern District of California issued a decision on the remedy to address violations of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Clean Air Act, and the Endangered Species Act in connection with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) designation of a route network for off-highway vehicles (OHVs) in the West Mojave Desert. The violations identified in the court’s October 2024 ruling included that BLM failed to analyze the greenhouse gas impacts among alternatives. The court granted the plaintiffs’ request for partial vacatur of the route network, finding that closure of desert tortoise critical habitat to OHVs was appropriate. The court remanded and vacated or partially vacated the record of decision, biological opinion, and incidental take statement for further proceedings.

Challenge to federal defendants' management of the West Mojave Planning Area of the California Desert Conservation Area.

Center for Biological Diversity v. U.S. Bureau of Land Management

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California Federal Court Barred Off-Highway Vehicle Use in Desert Tortoise Habitat

Filed

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An aim to achieve a quantifiable outcome within a given time-frame, set by an institution such as a national government.

Policy instruments are techniques or tools used by governing authorities to promote certain policies in order to achieve predetermined goals. Put simply, instruments are how a government tries to achieve its goals, with this taxonomy being focused on national policy instruments.

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Molecules in the atmosphere that play a key role in the greenhouse effect by trapping heat radiating from Earth’s surface.

Area of the economy in which actors engage in identical or related activities.

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Activities involving the catching, processing, and selling of fish for food, recreation, and industry.

California Federal Court Barred Off-Highway Vehicle Use in Desert Tortoise Habitat

Policy instrument

Greenhouse gas

Economic sector