Citizens for a Better Environment v. Costle

610 F. Supp. 106, 15 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 20, 1985 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19756
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedMay 16, 1985
Docket80 C 0003
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 610 F. Supp. 106 (Citizens for a Better Environment v. Costle) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Citizens for a Better Environment v. Costle, 610 F. Supp. 106, 15 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 20, 1985 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19756 (N.D. Ill. 1985).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

MORAN, District Judge.

Plaintiffs, Citizens for a Better Environment and Martin Wojcik, a citizen and resident of Illinois (hereinafter collectively referred to as “CBE”), have filed this action under section 304(a)(2) of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. § 7604(a)(2), against defendants William D. Ruckelshaus, the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and Valdas V. Adamkus, EPA’s Regional Administrator for Region Y. CBE has moved for clarification and for reconsideration of this court’s memorandum and order of December 27, 1983, dismissing count I for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. In count I CBE claimed, inter alia, that the EPA failed to perform a nondiscretionary duty under the Clean Air Act (the “Act”) by failing to promulgate regulations to remedy a deficiency the EPA found in Illinois’ implementation plan. CBE now seeks an order compelling the EPA to perform its non-discretionary duty pursuant to section *108 110(c)(1)(B) of the Act, 42 U.S.C. § 7410(c)(1)(B).

1. BACKGROUND

A. Statutory Background

The primary goal of the Clean Air Act is to protect the public’s health. Clean Air Act § 101(b)(1), 42 U.S.C. § 7401(b)(1). The Act places the responsibility for achieving this goal on both federal and state governments. Due to the states’ failure to adequately respond to the problem of air pollution, however, Congress has increasingly placed greater reliance on the federal government to ensure the states’ compliance. See, e.g., Union Electric Co. v. EPA, 427 U.S. 246, 249, 96 S.Ct. 2518, 2522, 49 L.Ed.2d 474, reh’g denied, 429 U.S. 873, 97 S.Ct. 189, 50 L.Ed.2d 154 (1976).

Accordingly, the Act required the EPA to adopt “national primary ambient air quality standards,” and the states to adopt “state implementation plans” (“SIPs”) designed to attain those standards by 1975. Nevertheless, many states failed to attain those standards, see 123 Cong.Rec. 18015 (1977) (statement of Act’s chief sponsor, Senator Muskie), and so Congress amended the Act in 1977. See Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977, Pub.L. No. 95-95, 91 Stat. 685 (1977). The 1977 Amendments added a new section, part D, for those states with “non-attainment areas.” Part D requires each state to revise its SIP for these non-attainment areas and section 172 of part D specifies the provisions required in the revised plans. Clean Air Act § 172(a)(1), (b)(1)-(10), 42 U.S.C. § 7502(a)(1), (b)(l)-(10). Section 172(a)(1) requires that the revised plan “provide for attainment” of the national primary standards “not later than December 31, 1982,” 42 U.S.C. § 7502(a)(1), and section 110(a)(2)(I) subjects states to a construction ban for failing to revise their SIPs. 42 U.S.C. § 7410(a)(2)(I). Moreover, section 110(c)(l)(A-B) provides that

“[t]he Administrator shall ... promptly prepare and publish proposed regulations setting forth an implementation plan, or any portion thereof, for a State if—
(A) the State fails to submit an implementation plan which meets the requirements of this section, [or] ■
(B) the plan, or any portion thereof ... is determined by the Administrator not to be in accordance with the requirements of this section____

42 U.S.C. § 7410(c)(l)(A-B) (emphasis added).

Judicial review of the Administrator’s actions (e.g., to adopt an SIP, to promulgate federal regulations, etc.), must be had in the courts of appeals. Clean Air Act § 307(b)(1), 42 U.S.C. § 7607(b)(1). Section 307(b)(1) provides, in pertinent part, that “review of the Administrator’s action in approving or promulgating any implementation plan ... or any other final action of the Administrator ... may be filed only in the United States Court of Appeals for the appropriate circuit.” 42 U.S.C. § 7607(b)(1). To remedy any action which after review the Court of Appeals finds arbitrary and capricious, section 307(d)(9) provides only that “the court may reverse any such action____” 1 42 U.S.C. § 7607(d)(9).

An order compelling the Administrator to perform a non-discretionary duty under the Act, however, must be had in the district courts. Clean Air Act § 304(a), 42 U.S.C. § 7604(a). Section 304(a) provides, in pertinent part, that

any person may commence a civil action ... (2) against the Administrator where there is alleged a failure of the Administrator to perform any act or duty under *109 this chapter which is not discretionary with the Administrator____ The district courts shall have jurisdiction ... to ... order the Administrator to perform such act or duty_ 2 __

42 U.S.C. § 7604(a). See e.g., Council of Commuter Organizations v. Metropolitan Transportation Authority, 683 F.2d 663, 665 (2d Cir.1982).

B. Factual Background

Illinois was one of those states which failed to obtain the national primary standards, despite the existence of its approved SIP. Thus, pursuant to section 172, Illinois submitted a draft version of its revised plan on April 3, 1979, three months after the statutorily-mandated submittal date. Section 110(c)(1) requires federal rulemaking within six months of the submission if the Administrator finds that the SIP, or any portion of it, fails to satisfy the Act’s requirements. 42 U.S.C. § 7410(c)(1).

By January 8, 1980, the EPA had made no final decision regarding the sufficiency of Illinois’ SIP, nor had the EPA proposed federal rulemaking.

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610 F. Supp. 106, 15 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 20, 1985 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19756, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/citizens-for-a-better-environment-v-costle-ilnd-1985.