Conservation Law Foundation of New England, Inc. v. Reilly

743 F. Supp. 933, 20 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 21394, 31 ERC (BNA) 1870, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9970, 1990 WL 109197
CourtDistrict Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedJuly 30, 1990
DocketCiv. A. 89-2325-Y
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 743 F. Supp. 933 (Conservation Law Foundation of New England, Inc. v. Reilly) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

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Conservation Law Foundation of New England, Inc. v. Reilly, 743 F. Supp. 933, 20 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 21394, 31 ERC (BNA) 1870, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9970, 1990 WL 109197 (D. Mass. 1990).

Opinion

YOUNG, District Judge.

The complaint in this case alleges that the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (the “Administrator”) failed to assess and evaluate federal facilities for hazardous waste as is required pursuant to a nondiscretionary duty imposed on him by section 120 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (“CERC-LA”), 42 U.S.C. section 9620 (1983 & Supp. 1990). 1 The plaintiffs Conservation Law *935 Foundation of New England, Inc. and Wa-tertown Citizens for Environmental Safety (the “environmental groups”) bring the suit on behalf of the members of their organizations.

Under section 120(c) of CERCLA the Administrator must establish a “Federal Agency Hazardous Waste Compliance Docket” (the “Docket”) listing federal facilities that have potential hazardous waste problems. 42 U.S.C. sec. 9620(c). Section 120(d) requires that once a facility is listed on the Docket, “the Administrator shall take steps to assure that a preliminary assessment is conducted,” not later than 18 months after October 17, 1986, which is April 17, 1988. 42 U.S.C. sec. 9620(d). Following the assessment, “the Administrator shall, where appropriate, (1) evaluate such facilities ... and (2) include such facilities on the National Priorities List ... if the facility meets such criteria.” Id. “Evaluation and listing ... shall be completed not later than 30 months after October 17, 1986,” which is April 17, 1989. Id.

The Administrator here challenges the standing of the environmental groups by a motion for partial judgment on the pleadings and they counter with affidavits containing their reasons as to why they have standing. The Court accepts these affidavits and converts the Administrator’s motion into one for summary judgment on the issue of standing. Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(c). In addition, the environmental groups move for summary judgment with respect to the liability of the Administrator and the remedy they seek.

I. The Motion of The Administrator

A. Standing.

The essence of standing is “ ‘whether the plaintiff has “alleged such a personal stake in the outcome of the controversy” as to warrant his invocation of federal-court jurisdiction and to justify exercise of the court’s remedial powers on his behalf.’ ” Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Corp., 429 U.S. 252, 261, 97 S.Ct. 555, 561, 50 L.Ed.2d 450 (1977) (quoting Warth v. Seldin, 422 U.S. 490, 498-99, 95 S.Ct. 2197, 2204-05, 45 L.Ed.2d 343 [1975] [quoting Baker v. Carr, 369 U.S. 186, 204, 82 S.Ct. 691, 703, 7 L.Ed.2d 663 (1962) ]) (emphasis in original). The constitution requires that a plaintiff allege that he has personally suffered some injury by the defendant’s action. Id. For a superb analysis of the theoretical underpinnings of the standing requirements, see L. Brilmayer, The Jurisprudence of Article III: Perspectives on the “Case or Controversy” Requirement, 93 Harv.L.Rev. 297 (1979) [hereinafter “Brilmayer”].

In his motion, the Administrator argues that the environmental groups in this case lack standing to pursue their claims because they have failed to allege any injury in fact. The Administrator further argues that the environmental groups must prove standing as to every individual site for which they seek a remedy. The environmental groups, on the other hand, argue that they have standing as to all of the sites in the nation because of the citizen suit provision which Congress included in CERCLA. Specifically, CERCLA section 310(a)(2) states that “any person may commence a civil action on his own behalf ... against the President or any other officer of the United States ... where there is alleged a failure ... to perform any act or duty under this chapter ... which is not discretionary_” 42 U.S.C. sec. 9659(a)(2).

The Supreme Court, however, has held that the concept of standing implicates constitutional concerns that the judicial power not extend beyond the cases and controversies specified in Article III, Section 2, of the Constitution of the United States. Thus, in order to prove standing,

Art. Ill requires the party who invokes the court’s authority to “show that he personally has suffered some actual or threatened injury as a result of the putatively illegal conduct of the defendant,” Gladstone, Realtors v. Village of Bellwood, 441 U.S. 91, 99 [99 S.Ct. 1601, 1607, 60 L.Ed.2d 66] (1979), and that the injury “fairly can be traced to the challenged action” and “is likely to be redressed by a favorable decision,” Simon v. Eastern Kentucky Welfare Rights *936 Org., 426 U.S. 26, 38, 41, 96 S.Ct. 1917, 1924, 1925, 48 L.Ed.2d 450 (1976).

Valley Forge College v. Americans United, 454 U.S. 464, 472, 102 S.Ct. 752, 758, 70 L.Ed.2d 700 (1982) (citations omitted). In order for an organization to have standing, it must “allege that its members, or any one of them, are suffering immediate or threatened injury as a result of the challenged action of the sort that would make out a justiciable case had the members themselves brought suit.” Warth, 422 U.S. at 511, 95 S.Ct. at 2211 (citing Sierra Club v. Morton, 405 U.S. 727, 734-41, 92 S.Ct. 1361, 1365-69, 31 L.Ed.2d 636 [1972]); Playboy Enterprises, Inc. v. Public Service Commission of Puerto Rico, 906 F.2d 25, 34 (1st Cir., 1990) [hereinafter “Playboy Enterprises”]. The plaintiffs therefore must allege that at least one of their members (1) suffered an injury or threatened injury — the injury in fact requirement, (2) which was caused by the defendant's action (or inaction), and (3) the. requested remedy will redress the injury. Valley Forge College, 454 U.S. at 472, 102 S.Ct. at 758; Playboy Enterprises at 26.

1. Injury or threatened injury.

The environmental groups argue that the alleged violation of their statutory right to have hazardous waste sites evaluated for inclusion on the National Priorities List within the time frame specified by Congress is an injury. Essentially, they argue that the mere allegation that the Administrator did not meet his statutory duty is enough to confer standing on their members.

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743 F. Supp. 933, 20 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 21394, 31 ERC (BNA) 1870, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9970, 1990 WL 109197, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/conservation-law-foundation-of-new-england-inc-v-reilly-mad-1990.