Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations v. United States Department of the Interior

Good Law

929 F. Supp. 2d 1039·2013 WL 923407·43 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 20057·2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 32598

United States District Court, Eastern District of CaliforniaMarch 8, 2013No. 1:12-CV-01303-LJO-MJSCalifornia9,229 words

Opinion

lead Opinion

Lawrenceneill, J.

MEMORANDUM DECISION AND ORDER RE MOTIONS TO DISMISS (DOCS. 45 & 46)

I. INTRODUCTION

This case concerns approval by the United States Department of the Interior and its member agency the United States Bureau of Reclamation (collectively, “Federal Defendants,” “Reclamation,” or the “Bureau”) of eight (8) interim renewal contracts (“Interim Contracts”) which authorize delivery of water from federal reclamation facilities to certain water districts served by the federal Central Valley Project (“CVP”) and provide for repayment of capital construction costs, as well as operational and maintenance expenses associated with CVP facilities. First Amended Complaint (“FAC”), Doc. 47 at ¶ 2. Plaintiffs allege that Federal Defendants’ issued a deficient Environmental Assessment (“EA”) and associated Finding of No Significant Impact (“FONSI”) prior to approval of the Interim Contracts in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”), 42 U.S.C. § 4321 et seq. Plaintiffs also allege that Federal Defendants should have prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (“EIS”), rather than an EA/FONSI, in connection with approval of the Interim Contracts.

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Parties

PACIFIC COAST FEDERATION OF FISHERMEN'S ASSOCIATIONS and San Francisco Crab Boat Owners Association, Inc
Plaintiff
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR and United States Bureau of Reclamation, and Westlands Water District, San Luis Water District, and Panoche Water District, Intervenor
Defendant

Judges

Lawrence
Neill

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