Cantrell

This appeal raises issues relating to environmental standing under the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) and state taxpayer standing. We hold that the appellants have standing to challenge the adequacy of the Navy’s Environmental Impact Statement under NEPA, but have not established taxpayer standing sufficient to bring their state law claims in federal court.

I. BACKGROUND

This dispute concerns the plans for the future use of the closed Long Beach Naval Station (“Naval Station”). The Naval Station is located on Terminal Island in the Port of Long Beach. Several of the buildings on the Naval Station were designed by Los Angeles architect Paul R. Williams, the first African-American fellow of the American Institute of Architects and principal architect for the U.S. Navy during the World War II era. A number of the structures on the station qualified for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places due to their strong association with the development of the Roosevelt Base as an administrative center for training and for ship repair of the Pacific Fleet during the Second World War.

At the time the complaint in this case was filed, portions of the Naval Station…