Consent decrees take center stage in two high profile environmental cases

Consent decrees are settlement agreements among litigating parties that are sanctioned by and entered as orders of the court.  By any measure, last week was an important week for consent decrees in environmental litigation.  On Monday, over the objections of several intervening … Continue reading

Federal Numeric Nutrient Criteria: A Tragedy in Two Acts

Two separate attempts by two coalitions of environmental groups to prompt EPA to promulgate federal numeric nutrient criteria in two different parts of the country have followed two wildly different courses.  A recent decision by the Eastern District of Louisiana invites a brief … Continue reading