Opinion
Case No. 19-cv-05206-JST Case No. 4:19-cv-06013-JST Case No. 4:19-cv-06812-JST
2022-11-16
CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY, et al., Plaintiffs, v. Deb HAALAND, et al., Defendants, and American Farm Bureau Federation, et al., Defendant-Intervenors. State of California, et al., Plaintiffs, v. Deb Haaland, et al., Defendants, and State of Alabama, et al., Defendant-Intervenors. Animal Legal Defense Fund, Plaintiff, v. Deb Haaland, et al., Defendants, and State of Alabama, et al., Defendant-Intervenors.
Andrea A. Treece, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, Kristen Lee Boyles, Paulo Palugod, Pro Hac Vice, Earthjustice, Seattle, WA, Ryan Adair Shannon, Pro Hac Vice, Center for Biological Diversity, Portland, OR, for Plaintiff Center for Biological Diversity in No. 19-cv-05206. Andrea A. Treece, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, Kristen Lee Boyles, Paulo Palugod, Pro Hac Vice, Earthjustice, Seattle, WA, for Plaintiffs Defenders of Wildlife, National Parks Conservation Association, WildEarth Guardians, The Humane Society of the United States in No. 19-cv-05206. Andrea A. Treece, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, Kristen Lee Boyles, Paulo Palugod, Pro Hac Vice, Earthjustice, Seattle, WA, Karimah Schoenhut, Pro Hac Vice, Sierra Club, Washington, DC, for Plaintiff Sierra Club in No. 19-cv-05206. Andrea A. Treece, Ian M. Fein, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, Kristen Lee Boyles, Paulo Palugod, Earthjustice, Seattle, WA, Rebecca Riley, Pro Hac Vice, Natural Resources Defense Council, Chicago, IL, for Plaintiff Natural Resources Defense Council in No. 19-cv-05206. George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of California by and through Attorney General Xavier Becerra in No. 19-cv-05206. Tara Lynn Mueller, California Office of the Attorney General, Oakland, CA, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of California in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Matthew Ireland, Turner H. Smith, Massachusetts Attorney General's Office, Environmental Protection Division, Boston, MA, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff Commonwealth of Massachusetts in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Steven Jay Goldstein, Pro Hac Vice, Office of the Attorney General of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of Maryland in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Eric Reuel Olson, Pro Hac Vice, Office of the Attorney General, Denver, CO, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of Colorado in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Daniel Salton, Pro Hac Vice, CT Attorney General's Office, Hartford, CT, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of Connecticut in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Jason Elliott James, Illinois Attorney General's Office, Chicago, IL, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of Illinois in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Nathan A. Gambill, Pro Hac Vice, Lansing, MI, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff People of the State of Michigan in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Tori Nicole Sundheim, State of Nevada, Office of the Attorney General, Carson City, NV, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of Nevada in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Lisa Jo Morelli, Office of the Attorney General, Trenton, NJ, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of New Jersey in No. 4:19-cv-06013. William G. Grantham, NM Attorney General's Office, Albuquerque, NM, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of New Mexico in No. 4:19-cv-06013. George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiffs State of New York, State of Rhode Island, District of Columbia in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Amy L. Bircher, Pro Hac Vice, NC DOJ, Environmental, Asheville, NC, Scott A. Conklin, Pro Hac Vice, North Carolina Department of Justice, Environmental Division, Raleigh, NC, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of North Carolina in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Paul Andrew Garrahan, Oregon Department of Justice Natural Resources Section, Salem, OR, Steven Novick, Oregon Department of Justice, Portland, OR, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of Oregon in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Ann R. Johnston, Pro Hac Vice, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Harrisburg, PA, Aimee Diane Thomson, Pro Hac Vice, Philadelphia City Law Department Impact Litigation Section, Philadelphia, PA, Turner H. Smith, Massachusetts Attorney General's Office, Environmental Protection Division, Boston, MA, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Ryan Patrick Kane, Pro Hac Vice, Vermont Attorney General's Office, Montpelier, VT, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of Vermont in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Aurora Janke, Pro Hac Vice, Elizabeth Marie Caroline Harris, Pro Hac Vice, Washington State Attorney General, Environmental Protection Division, Seattle, WA, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of Washington in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Antonia Freire Pereira, Devon Goodrich, Pro Hac Vice, New York City Law Department, Environmental Law Division, New York, NY, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff City of New York in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Gabe Johnson-Karp, Pro Hac Vice, State of Wisconsin Department of Justice, Madison, WI, for Plaintiff State of Wisconsin in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Peter N. Surdo, Pro Hac Vice, Office of the Minnesota Attorney General, St. Paul, MN, for Plaintiff State of Minnesota in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Coby Healy Howell, U.S. Dept. of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division, Portland, OR, Michael Richard Eitel, U.S. Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division, Denver, CO, for Defendants David Bernhardt, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wilbur Ross, National Marine Fisheries Service in Nos. 19-cv-05206, 4:19-cv-06013, 4:19-cv-06812. Charles Timothy Yates, Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento, CA, Christopher J. Carr, Navtej Singh Dhillon, Paul Hastings LLP, San Francisco, CA, Tania L. Rice, Baker Botts L.L.P., San Francisco, CA, for Defendant-Intervenors American Farm Bureau Federation, American Forest Resource Council, American Petroleum Institute, Federal Forest Resource Coalition, National Alliance of Forest Owners, National Association of Home Builders, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Public Lands Council in Nos. 19-cv-05206, 4:19-cv-06013, 4:19-cv-06812. Charles Timothy Yates, Damien M. Schiff, Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento, CA, for Defendant-Intervenors Kenneth Klemm, Beaver Creek Buffalo Co., Washington Cattlemen's Association, Pacific Legal Foundation in Nos. 19-cv-05206, 4:19-cv-06013, 4:19-cv-06812. Charles Timothy Yates, Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento, CA, Edmund Gerard LaCour, Jr., James William Davis, Pro Hac Vice, Alexander Barrett Bowdre, Pro Hac Vice, Office of the Alabama Attorney General, Solicitor General Division, Montgomery, AL, Paul J. Beard, II, FisherBroyles LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Melissa A. Schlichting, United States Attorney's Office District of Montana, Helena, MT, for Defendant-Intervenor State of Alabama in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Charles Timothy Yates, Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento, CA, Edmund Gerard LaCour, Jr., Alexander Barrett Bowdre, Pro Hac Vice, James William Davis, Pro Hac Vice, Office of the Alabama Attorney General, Solicitor General Division, Montgomery, AL, Paul J. Beard, II, FisherBroyles LLP, Los Angeles, CA, for Defendant-Intervenor State of Alabama in Nos. 4:19-cv-06812, 19-cv-05206. Charles Timothy Yates, Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento, CA, Paul J. Beard, II, FisherBroyles LLP, Los Angeles, CA, for Defendant-Intervenors State of Kansas, State of Nebraska, State of Montana in Nos. 19-cv-05206, 4:19-cv-06812. Charles Timothy Yates, Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento, CA, Leo John LeSueur, Pro Hac Vice, Game and Fish, Phoenix, AZ, Paul J. Beard, II, FisherBroyles LLP, Los Angeles, CA, for Defendant-Intervenors State of Arizona, ex rel. Arizona Game and Fish Commission in Nos. 19-cv-05206, 4:19-cv-06812. Charles Timothy Yates, Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento, CA, Paul J. Beard, II, FisherBroyles LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Edmund Gerard LaCour, Jr., Office of the Alabama Attorney General, Montgomery, AL, for Defendant-Intervenor State of Montana in No. 4:19-cv-06812. Charles Timothy Yates, Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento, CA, Leo John LeSueur, Pro Hac Vice, Game and Fish, Phoenix, AZ, for Defendant-Intervenor State of Arizona in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Charles Timothy Yates, Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento, CA, Christian Brian Corrigan, Jeremiah R. Langston, Pro Hac Vice, Melissa A. Schlichting, Montana Department of Justice Attorney Generals Office, Helena, MT, Paul J. Beard, II, FisherBroyles LLP, Los Angeles, CA, David M.S. Dewhirst, Pro Hac Vice, Idaho Attorney General's Office of the Attorney General, Boise, ID, for Defendant-Intervenor State of Montana in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Charles Timothy Yates, Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento, CA, Paul J. Beard, II, FisherBroyles LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Jeffrey A. Chanay, Pro Hac Vice, Topeka, KS, Melissa A. Schlichting, United States Attorney's Office District of Montana, Helena, MT, for Defendant-Intervenor State of Kansas in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Charles Timothy Yates, Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento, CA, Justin D. Lavene, Pro Hac Vice, Carlton Wray Wiggam, Pro Hac Vice, Nebraska Attorney General's Office, Lincoln, NE, Paul J. Beard, II, FisherBroyles LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Melissa A. Schlichting, United States Attorney's Office District of Montana, Helena, MT, for Defendant-Intervenor State of Nebraska in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Joel Tom Boer, Hogan Lovells U.S. LLP, San Francisco, CA, for Defendant Utility Water Act Group in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Fran M. Layton, Shute Mihaly & Weinberger LLP, San Francisco, CA, David Albert Schwartz, Pro Hac Vice, Institute for Public Representation, Washington, DC, for Amicus Environmental Law Professors in No. 19-cv-05206. Stephen S. Zashin, Zashin and Rich Co., L.P.A., Cleveland, OH, for Amici The Board of Park Commissioners of the Cleveland Metropolitan Park District, Zoological Society of San Diego in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Daniel Sena Guerra, Clement S. Roberts, Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe LLP, San Francisco, CA, Kourosh Jahansouz, Reed Smith LLP, San Francisco, CA, Jeffrey Todd Quilici, Pro Hac Vice, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, Austin, TX, for Plaintiff Animal Legal Defense Fund in No. 4:19-cv-06812.
Andrea A. Treece, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, Kristen Lee Boyles, Paulo Palugod, Pro Hac Vice, Earthjustice, Seattle, WA, Ryan Adair Shannon, Pro Hac Vice, Center for Biological Diversity, Portland, OR, for Plaintiff Center for Biological Diversity in No. 19-cv-05206. Andrea A. Treece, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, Kristen Lee Boyles, Paulo Palugod, Pro Hac Vice, Earthjustice, Seattle, WA, for Plaintiffs Defenders of Wildlife, National Parks Conservation Association, WildEarth Guardians, The Humane Society of the United States in No. 19-cv-05206. Andrea A. Treece, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, Kristen Lee Boyles, Paulo Palugod, Pro Hac Vice, Earthjustice, Seattle, WA, Karimah Schoenhut, Pro Hac Vice, Sierra Club, Washington, DC, for Plaintiff Sierra Club in No. 19-cv-05206. Andrea A. Treece, Ian M. Fein, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, Kristen Lee Boyles, Paulo Palugod, Earthjustice, Seattle, WA, Rebecca Riley, Pro Hac Vice, Natural Resources Defense Council, Chicago, IL, for Plaintiff Natural Resources Defense Council in No. 19-cv-05206. George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of California by and through Attorney General Xavier Becerra in No. 19-cv-05206. Tara Lynn Mueller, California Office of the Attorney General, Oakland, CA, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of California in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Matthew Ireland, Turner H. Smith, Massachusetts Attorney General's Office, Environmental Protection Division, Boston, MA, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff Commonwealth of Massachusetts in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Steven Jay Goldstein, Pro Hac Vice, Office of the Attorney General of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of Maryland in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Eric Reuel Olson, Pro Hac Vice, Office of the Attorney General, Denver, CO, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of Colorado in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Daniel Salton, Pro Hac Vice, CT Attorney General's Office, Hartford, CT, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of Connecticut in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Jason Elliott James, Illinois Attorney General's Office, Chicago, IL, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of Illinois in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Nathan A. Gambill, Pro Hac Vice, Lansing, MI, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff People of the State of Michigan in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Tori Nicole Sundheim, State of Nevada, Office of the Attorney General, Carson City, NV, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of Nevada in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Lisa Jo Morelli, Office of the Attorney General, Trenton, NJ, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of New Jersey in No. 4:19-cv-06013. William G. Grantham, NM Attorney General's Office, Albuquerque, NM, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of New Mexico in No. 4:19-cv-06013. George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiffs State of New York, State of Rhode Island, District of Columbia in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Amy L. Bircher, Pro Hac Vice, NC DOJ, Environmental, Asheville, NC, Scott A. Conklin, Pro Hac Vice, North Carolina Department of Justice, Environmental Division, Raleigh, NC, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of North Carolina in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Paul Andrew Garrahan, Oregon Department of Justice Natural Resources Section, Salem, OR, Steven Novick, Oregon Department of Justice, Portland, OR, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of Oregon in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Ann R. Johnston, Pro Hac Vice, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Harrisburg, PA, Aimee Diane Thomson, Pro Hac Vice, Philadelphia City Law Department Impact Litigation Section, Philadelphia, PA, Turner H. Smith, Massachusetts Attorney General's Office, Environmental Protection Division, Boston, MA, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Ryan Patrick Kane, Pro Hac Vice, Vermont Attorney General's Office, Montpelier, VT, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of Vermont in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Aurora Janke, Pro Hac Vice, Elizabeth Marie Caroline Harris, Pro Hac Vice, Washington State Attorney General, Environmental Protection Division, Seattle, WA, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff State of Washington in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Antonia Freire Pereira, Devon Goodrich, Pro Hac Vice, New York City Law Department, Environmental Law Division, New York, NY, George Matthew Torgun, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff City of New York in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Gabe Johnson-Karp, Pro Hac Vice, State of Wisconsin Department of Justice, Madison, WI, for Plaintiff State of Wisconsin in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Peter N. Surdo, Pro Hac Vice, Office of the Minnesota Attorney General, St. Paul, MN, for Plaintiff State of Minnesota in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Coby Healy Howell, U.S. Dept. of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division, Portland, OR, Michael Richard Eitel, U.S. Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division, Denver, CO, for Defendants David Bernhardt, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wilbur Ross, National Marine Fisheries Service in Nos. 19-cv-05206, 4:19-cv-06013, 4:19-cv-06812. Charles Timothy Yates, Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento, CA, Christopher J. Carr, Navtej Singh Dhillon, Paul Hastings LLP, San Francisco, CA, Tania L. Rice, Baker Botts L.L.P., San Francisco, CA, for Defendant-Intervenors American Farm Bureau Federation, American Forest Resource Council, American Petroleum Institute, Federal Forest Resource Coalition, National Alliance of Forest Owners, National Association of Home Builders, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Public Lands Council in Nos. 19-cv-05206, 4:19-cv-06013, 4:19-cv-06812. Charles Timothy Yates, Damien M. Schiff, Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento, CA, for Defendant-Intervenors Kenneth Klemm, Beaver Creek Buffalo Co., Washington Cattlemen's Association, Pacific Legal Foundation in Nos. 19-cv-05206, 4:19-cv-06013, 4:19-cv-06812. Charles Timothy Yates, Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento, CA, Edmund Gerard LaCour, Jr., James William Davis, Pro Hac Vice, Alexander Barrett Bowdre, Pro Hac Vice, Office of the Alabama Attorney General, Solicitor General Division, Montgomery, AL, Paul J. Beard, II, FisherBroyles LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Melissa A. Schlichting, United States Attorney's Office District of Montana, Helena, MT, for Defendant-Intervenor State of Alabama in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Charles Timothy Yates, Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento, CA, Edmund Gerard LaCour, Jr., Alexander Barrett Bowdre, Pro Hac Vice, James William Davis, Pro Hac Vice, Office of the Alabama Attorney General, Solicitor General Division, Montgomery, AL, Paul J. Beard, II, FisherBroyles LLP, Los Angeles, CA, for Defendant-Intervenor State of Alabama in Nos. 4:19-cv-06812, 19-cv-05206. Charles Timothy Yates, Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento, CA, Paul J. Beard, II, FisherBroyles LLP, Los Angeles, CA, for Defendant-Intervenors State of Kansas, State of Nebraska, State of Montana in Nos. 19-cv-05206, 4:19-cv-06812. Charles Timothy Yates, Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento, CA, Leo John LeSueur, Pro Hac Vice, Game and Fish, Phoenix, AZ, Paul J. Beard, II, FisherBroyles LLP, Los Angeles, CA, for Defendant-Intervenors State of Arizona, ex rel. Arizona Game and Fish Commission in Nos. 19-cv-05206, 4:19-cv-06812. Charles Timothy Yates, Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento, CA, Paul J. Beard, II, FisherBroyles LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Edmund Gerard LaCour, Jr., Office of the Alabama Attorney General, Montgomery, AL, for Defendant-Intervenor State of Montana in No. 4:19-cv-06812. Charles Timothy Yates, Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento, CA, Leo John LeSueur, Pro Hac Vice, Game and Fish, Phoenix, AZ, for Defendant-Intervenor State of Arizona in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Charles Timothy Yates, Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento, CA, Christian Brian Corrigan, Jeremiah R. Langston, Pro Hac Vice, Melissa A. Schlichting, Montana Department of Justice Attorney Generals Office, Helena, MT, Paul J. Beard, II, FisherBroyles LLP, Los Angeles, CA, David M.S. Dewhirst, Pro Hac Vice, Idaho Attorney General's Office of the Attorney General, Boise, ID, for Defendant-Intervenor State of Montana in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Charles Timothy Yates, Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento, CA, Paul J. Beard, II, FisherBroyles LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Jeffrey A. Chanay, Pro Hac Vice, Topeka, KS, Melissa A. Schlichting, United States Attorney's Office District of Montana, Helena, MT, for Defendant-Intervenor State of Kansas in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Charles Timothy Yates, Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento, CA, Justin D. Lavene, Pro Hac Vice, Carlton Wray Wiggam, Pro Hac Vice, Nebraska Attorney General's Office, Lincoln, NE, Paul J. Beard, II, FisherBroyles LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Melissa A. Schlichting, United States Attorney's Office District of Montana, Helena, MT, for Defendant-Intervenor State of Nebraska in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Joel Tom Boer, Hogan Lovells U.S. LLP, San Francisco, CA, for Defendant Utility Water Act Group in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Fran M. Layton, Shute Mihaly & Weinberger LLP, San Francisco, CA, David Albert Schwartz, Pro Hac Vice, Institute for Public Representation, Washington, DC, for Amicus Environmental Law Professors in No. 19-cv-05206. Stephen S. Zashin, Zashin and Rich Co., L.P.A., Cleveland, OH, for Amici The Board of Park Commissioners of the Cleveland Metropolitan Park District, Zoological Society of San Diego in No. 4:19-cv-06013. Daniel Sena Guerra, Clement S. Roberts, Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe LLP, San Francisco, CA, Kourosh Jahansouz, Reed Smith LLP, San Francisco, CA, Jeffrey Todd Quilici, Pro Hac Vice, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, Austin, TX, for Plaintiff Animal Legal Defense Fund in No. 4:19-cv-06812.
AMENDED ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO REMAND
Re: ECF No. 146 Re: ECF No. 165 Re: ECF No. 109 JON S. TIGAR, United States District Judge
Before the Court is a motion to remand without vacatur filed by Defendants Deb Haaland, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Gina Raimondo, and National Marine Fisheries Service (collectively "the Services"). ECF No. 165. The Court will grant the motion for remand.
The Services filed identical motions in all three related cases: Center for Biological Diversity v. Haaland, No. 19-cv-05206-JST (N.D. Cal.); State of California v. Haaland, No. 19-cv-6013 (N.D. Cal.), and Animal Legal Def. Fund v. Haaland, 19-cv-06812 (N.D. Cal.). ECF No. 146 at 9 n.2 ("Federal Defendants are filing an identical motion and memorandum in all three cases."). The Court refers to the cases collectively in the singular tense.
I. BACKGROUND
A. The Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act ("ESA") "was enacted in 1973 to prevent the extinction of various fish, wildlife, and plant species." Turtle Island Restoration Network v. Nat'l Marine Fisheries Serv., 340 F.3d 969, 974 (9th Cir. 2003). The ESA aims "to provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved" and "to provide a program for the conservation of such endangered species and threatened species." 16 U.S.C. § 1531(b). The ESA represents "the most comprehensive legislation for the preservation of endangered species ever enacted by any nation." Tenn. Valley Auth. v. Hill, 437 U.S. 153, 180, 98 S.Ct. 2279, 57 L.Ed.2d 117 (1978). It reflects "a conscious decision by Congress to give endangered species priority over the 'primary missions' of federal agencies." Id. at 185, 98 S.Ct. 2279. "The responsibility for administration and enforcement of the ESA lies with the Secretaries of Commerce and Interior, who have delegated the responsibility to the [National Marine Fisheries Service ("NMFS")] with respect to marine species, and to the Fish and Wildlife Service ("FWS") with respect to terrestrial species." Turtle Island, 340 F.3d at 973-74 (citing 50 C.F.R. § 402.01).
To accomplish its purposes, the ESA "sets forth a comprehensive program to limit harm to endangered species within the United States." California ex rel. Lockyer v. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, 575 F.3d 999, 1018 (9th Cir. 2009). Section 4 of the ESA requires NMFS and FWS to identify endangered and threatened species and designate their "critical habitats." 16 U.S.C. 1533(a)(1)-(3). Section 7 "imposes a procedural duty on federal agencies to consult with either the [NMFS] or the FWS before engaging in a discretionary action, which may affect listed species." Turtle Island, 340 F.3d at 974 (citing 16 U.S.C. § 1536(a)(2); 50 C.F.R. §§ 402.14, 402.01(b)). This consultation procedure aims to allow the Services "to determine whether the federal action is likely to jeopardize the survival of a protected species or result in the destruction of its critical habitat, and if so, to identify reasonable and prudent alternatives that will avoid the action's unfavorable impacts." Id. (citing 16 U.S.C. § 1536(b)(3)(A)). And Section 9 prohibits the "take" (e.g. killing, harassing, harming, or collecting) of listed endangered fish and wildlife species and prohibits other actions with respect to listed endangered plant species. 16 U.S.C. §§ 1532, 1538. Section 4(d) authorizes the extension of Section 9 prohibitions to threatened species. Id. § 1533(d).
The Act charges the Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Commerce with this authority, 16 U.S.C. § 1532(15), but each has (respectively) delegated this authority to the FWS and NMFS. 50 C.F.R. § 402.01(b). For simplicity, this order refers to the Services and not the Secretaries, and distinguishes between the NMFS and FWS only when relevant.
"When the acting agency is either the [NMFS] or the FWS, the obligation to consult is not relieved, instead, the agency must consult within its own agency to fulfill its statutory mandate." Turtle Island, 340 F.3d at 974 (citing 16 U.S.C. § 1536(a)(2); 50 C.F.R. §§ 402.14, 402.01(b)).
B. Procedural History
In August 2019, the Services enacted a series of regulations that modified how the Services implement the ESA (collectively "2019 ESA Rules"). The Listing Rule, 84 Fed. Reg. 45,020, modified how the Services add, remove, and reclassify endangered or threatened species and the criteria for designating listed species' critical habitat. The Blanket Rule Repeal, 84 Fed. Reg. 44,753, eliminated the FWS's former policy of automatically extending to threatened species the protections against "take" that Section 9 automatically affords to endangered species. And the Interagency Consultation Rule, 84 Fed. Reg. 44,976, changed how the Services work with federal agencies to prevent proposed agency actions that could harm listed species or their critical habitat.
Soon after the regulations were finalized in 2019, Plaintiffs - environmental groups, states, and cities - challenged the 2019 ESA Rules as unlawful, arguing that they violate the ESA, the Administrative Procedure Act ("APA"), and the National Environmental Policy Act ("NEPA"). The Services moved to dismiss all three cases on standing and ripeness grounds. ECF No. 33. The Court granted the motions with respect to some plaintiffs and denied them as to other plaintiffs. The latter group of plaintiffs were granted leave to amend and then filed amended complaints, which the Services answered. The Court also granted motions to intervene filed by a different group of states ("State Intervenors"), private landowners ("Landowner Intervenors"), and various industry groups ("Industry Intervenors") (collectively "Intervenor-Defendants").
These intervenors are the states of Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
These intervenors are Ken Klemm, the Beaver Creek Buffalo Company, the Washington Cattlemen's Association, and the Pacific Legal Foundation.
These intervenors are the American Farm Bureau Federation, the American Forest Resource Council, the American Petroleum Institute, the Federal Forest Resource Coalition, the National Alliance of Forest Owners, the National Association of Home Builders, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, and the Public Lands Council.
On January 19, 2021, Plaintiffs in each case filed motions for summary judgment. E.g., ECF No. 116. The next day, President Biden signed Executive Order 13990 (titled "Executive Order on Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis"), directing the Services to evaluate and, where appropriate, revise or rescind environmental and public health-related regulations that issued during the prior four years that conflicted with national objectives set forth in the Order. 86 Fed. Reg. 7037 (Jan. 20, 2021). In a publication accompanying the Executive Order, the White House specifically directed the Services to review the 2019 ESA Rules challenged in this case. As a result of the Services' review of these regulations, on June 4, 2021, FWS announced its intent to rescind the Section 4(d) Rule and the Services announced their intent to revise the Section 4 and Section 7 Rules.
Once the new presidential administration signaled that it would reevaluate the 2019 ESA Rules and rescind many of them, the parties agreed to a series of litigation stays, which lasted a total of 150 days. Because the Plaintiffs were then unwilling to agree to further stays, the Services filed a motion to stay in August 2021. In October 2021, the Court denied the motion to stay, finding that there was at least "a fair possibility that [a] stay will work damage" because of the continuing applicability of the challenged regulations. ECF No. 145 at 21-23. The Court lifted the parties' stipulated stay and restored the summary-judgment briefing schedule to calendar.
Plaintiffs then renoticed their motions for summary judgment. In response, the Services filed this motion to remand without vacatur. Plaintiffs oppose the Services' motion, asking that the Court either (1) remand with vacatur - Plaintiffs' preferred outcome - or (2) deny the Services' motion altogether and resume summary judgment briefing so the matter can be adjudicated on the merits. The Intervenor-Defendants largely support remand without vacatur.
II. JURISDICTION
This Court has jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1331.
III. LEGAL STANDARD
When an agency's action is challenged in federal court, "it may seek remand [of the challenged regulations] even absent any intervening events, without confessing error, to reconsider its previous position." In re Clean Water Act Rulemaking, 568 F.Supp.3d 1013, 1021 (N.D. Cal. 2021). "Generally, courts only refuse voluntarily requested remand when the agency's request is frivolous or made in bad faith." Cal. Cmtys. Against Toxics v. U.S. E.P.A., 688 F.3d 989, 992 (9th Cir. 2012).
In determining whether to vacate agency action concurrently with remand, the Court considers two factors: how serious the agency's errors are and "the disruptive consequences of an interim change that may itself be changed." Id. (quoting Allied-Signal, Inc. v. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Com'n, 988 F.2d 146, 150-51 (D.C. Cir. 1993)) (internal quotation marks omitted). In analyzing the first factor, courts assess "whether the agency . . . could adopt the same rule on remand, or whether [the] fundamental flaws in the agency's decision make it unlikely that the same rule would be adopted on remand." Pollinator Stewardship Council v. E.P.A., 806 F.3d 520, 532 (9th Cir. 2015). "[C]ourts in the Ninth Circuit decline vacatur only in rare circumstances." Klamath-Siskiyou, 109 F. Supp. 3d 1238, 1242 (N.D. Cal. 2015) (citing Humane Soc'y v. Locke, 626 F.3d 1040, 1053 n.7 (9th Cir. 2010)). "Vacatur is the presumptive remedy." Hunters v. Marten, 470 F. Supp. 3d 1151, 1181 (D. Mont. 2020), appeal dismissed sub nom. Helena Hunters & Anglers Ass'n v. Marten, No. 20-35771, 2020 WL 8678109 (9th Cir. Dec. 28, 2020) (citation omitted).
IV. DISCUSSION
A. Motion for Remand
No party argues that the Services' request for remand in this case is frivolous or in bad faith. The Court grants the Services' motion for remand.
B. Vacatur
The Court next turns to the question of vacatur. The Court must first address the threshold question of whether the Court can vacate the 2019 ESA Rules without fully adjudicating the merits of Plaintiffs' claims. The Court concludes that it cannot grant pre-merits vacatur on voluntary remand. See Louisiana v. American Rivers, — U.S. —, 142 S. Ct. 1347, 212 L.Ed.2d 549 (2022) (mem.) (granting application for stay of district court pre-merits vacatur order); In re: Wash. Cattlemen's Ass'n, No. 22-70194, 2022 WL 4393033 (9th Cir. Sept. 21, 2022).
CONCLUSION
For the reasons stated above, the Court grants the Services' motion for voluntary remand. All other pending motions are denied as moot.
IT IS SO ORDERED.