HSUS Facing RICO Lawsuit
The Humane Society of the United States may be facing a class-action civil lawsuit brought under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, which allows victims of organized crime to sue those responsible for punitive damages. HSUS faces allegations of racketeering, obstruction of justice, malicious prosecution and other charges related to a long-running lawsuit it filed and lost...
Read MoreAppeals Court Upholds GHG Rules
On Tuesday, the federal Circuit Court for the District of Columbia upheld greenhouse gas rules promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency. The American Farm Bureau Federation was a party in the cases on this, which were consolidated in the D.C. Circuit Court. The decision is seen as a blow to the coal industry and a win for environmental activists. The decision preserves the status quo...
Read MoreHouse Seeks Cost Info on ESA
House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) on Thursday sent a series of letters to the Obama administration requesting further information on how much the federal government spends on Endangered Species Act-related litigation and settlement costs. According to the committee, the ESA has become increasingly driven by litigation and is used by special interest groups as a way...
Read MoreSCOTUS Sides with Sacketts
A recent Supreme Court ruling asserts that landowners are entitled to a day in court. In a unanimous decision the Supreme Court ruled that property owners are entitled to their day in court when the Environmental Protection Agency asserts jurisdiction over their land. In Sackett v. EPA, the EPA told the Sacketts, an Idaho couple, they had to stop building their new home because it was on...
Read MoreAnother Legal Victory for Farm Bureau
In the second major legal victory for Fam Bureau in as many days, a U.S. District court in Florida rejected the EPA’s nutrient criteria for Florida streams and unimpaired lakes are unlawful because they are arbitrary and have no scientific basis. On Tuesday the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that landowners and not the state, own the land under rivers and streams. The Florida ruling resolves...
Read MoreSupreme Court Victory for Farm Bureau
In a unanimous decision, the high court has settled the dispute over ownership of streambeds and streambanks. Asserting that the Public Trust Doctrine does not apply in such cases, the case PPL vs. Montana ensures that landowners and not the government are the rightful owners of streambeds. “The Supreme Court of the Unites States today unanimously ruled in favor of individual property...
Read MoreLegislative Tracking 2013
