Court Battles

National Audubon Society et al. v. David Bernhardt et al.

February 17, 2021 Court CaseAlaska, ArcticActive

NRDC and allies are suing over the Trump administration’s decision to open the heart of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas leasing.

Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance et al. v. David Bernhardt et al.

January 8, 2021 Court CaseUtahClosed

The Trump administration snuck around a new conservation law to approve helium drilling in the iconic Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness.

South Carolina Coastal Conservation League v. Ross

November 30, 2020 Court CaseSouth Carolina, EastClosed

NRDC, partners, and coastal states sued to stop seismic blasting in the Atlantic Ocean, which threatens marine life like the endangered North Atlantic right whale.

Western Organization of Resource Councils et al. v. U.S. Bureau of Land Management et al.

October 21, 2020 Court CaseMontana, WyomingClosed

The Bureau of Land Management failed to comply with the National Environmental Protection Act when it approved management plans in the Powder River Basin.

NRDC v. R. Zinke et al. (International Wildlife Conservation Council)

September 28, 2020 Court CaseInternational, United States, AfricaClosed

The Trump administration’s International Wildlife Conservation Council—which promoted the killing of elephants, lions, and giraffes by U.S. trophy hunters—was unbalanced, deceitful, and illegal.

NRDC v. David L. Bernhardt et al. (Rusty Patched Bumblebee Habitat)

September 1, 2020 Court CaseEast, MidwestClosed

More than two years since the rusty patched bumblebee was listed as an endangered species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has yet to designate and protect the bee’s critical habitat, as required by law.

Environmental Justice Health Alliance et al. v. Council on Environmental Quality et al. (NEPA Rule)

August 6, 2020 Court CaseUnited StatesActive

The Trump administration is rolling back critical environmental reviews and blocking public participation under the guise of “streamlining.” So we’re suing.

NRDC v. E. Scott Pruitt et al. (Enlist Duo)

July 23, 2020 Court CaseUnited StatesClosed

The EPA approved the pesticide Enlist Duo despite its serious risks to people and monarch butterflies. So NRDC challenged the EPA’s decision—and won an important victory.

NRDC et al. v. EPA (COVID-19 Nonenforcement Policy)

July 8, 2020 Court CaseUnited StatesClosed

The EPA issued a policy allowing companies to stop monitoring and reporting their compliance with pollution rules during the pandemic. So we sued.

NRDC et al. v. Wilbur Ross et al. (Vaquita)

April 22, 2020 Court CaseUnited States, MexicoClosed

NRDC and partners are fighting to save the last of the vaquitas.

Public Citizen, NRDC, and Communication Workers of America, AFL-CIO, v. Donald Trump

January 10, 2020 Court CaseUnited StatesClosed

When President Trump issued his alarming “2-for-1” executive order, NRDC and our partners quickly sued. We’ll continue to fight the administration’s attempts to steamroll public health and environmental safeguards.

Wilderness Workshop et al. v. U.S. Bureau of Land Management et al.

November 15, 2019 Court CaseColoradoClosed

In 2015, BLM opened hundreds of thousands of acres in the Colorado River Valley to oil and gas development without ever analyzing and disclosing the environmental impacts. So we sued.

The California WaterFix project

May 13, 2019 Court CaseCaliforniaClosed

The California WaterFix project was no fix at all. In a victory for the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, California abandoned its two-tunnel project in May 2019.

Defenders of Wildlife and NRDC v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers et al.

December 31, 2018 Court CaseMontanaClosed

Fighting a proposed dam in eastern Montana, NRDC and our partners offered a win-win alternative for farmers and the Yellowstone River ecosystem.

Coalition for Competitive Electricity v. Zibelman

September 27, 2018 Court CaseNew YorkClosed

In defending New York State’s authority to regulate utilities, NRDC is helping to preserve states’ ability to combat climate change and pollution from power plants.

NRDC et al. v. EPA et al. (Exceptional Events)

September 25, 2018 Court CaseUnited StatesClosed

The EPA’s flawed definition of a “natural event” under the Clean Air Act could allow preventable pollution, like power plant emissions, to be excused. So we took them to court.

Clean Air Carolina, NRDC, and U.S. PIRG v. Department of Transportation et al.

June 13, 2018 Court CaseUnited StatesClosed

When the Federal Highway Administration suspended a commonsense rule to better manage greenhouse gas emissions from highway vehicles, we sued—and the FHA backed down.

NRDC v. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

April 25, 2018 Court CaseUnited StatesClosed

Thanks to legal action taken by NRDC and our partners, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is taking the necessary steps to permanently ban five harmful phthalates from children’s products.

NRDC v. U.S. Department of the Interior et al. (Rusty Patched Bumblebee)

February 13, 2018 Court CaseEast, MidwestClosed

NRDC wasted no time in the fight to stop Trump’s attacks on endangered species. That quick action paid off in one of our first legal victories against the new administration.

Center for Biological Diversity et al. v. Zinke et al.

February 6, 2018 Court CaseInternational, United States, AfricaClosed

By sanctioning imports of elephant and lion trophies from Zimbabwe, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ignored concerns about illegal poaching. NRDC and partners are fighting for these majestic animals.