Food & Water Watch v. U.S. Dep't of Agric.

325 F. Supp. 3d 39
Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit·Decided September 7, 2018·No. Civil Action No. 17-1714 (BAH)·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinion

BERYL A. HOWELL, Chief Judge *42The plaintiff, Food & Water Watch ("FWW"), has filed a nine-count complaint against three defendants, the United States Department of Agriculture ("USDA"), the Farm Service Agency ("FSA"), and Deanna Dunning, in her official capacity as an FSA Farm Loan Officer (collectively, "defendants"), under the Administrative Procedure Act ("APA"), 5 U.S.C. § 551, et seq. , and the National Environmental Policy Act ("NEPA"), 42 U.S.C. §§ 4321 - 70, seeking an order and judgment setting aside an environmental assessment completed by the defendants in connection with a nonparty farm's "application for a guaranteed loan to construct and operate a poultry concentrated animal feeding operation," "[d]eclaring that Defendants violated NEPA by failing" to complete an adequate environmental impact statement in connection with the loan application, and "[e]njoining implementation of Defendants' loan guarantee." Compl. ¶¶ 1, 5, ECF No. 1. The defendants have moved for judgment on the pleadings pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(c), contending that the plaintiff's claims are moot and that the plaintiff lacks standing, see generally Defs.' Mot. J. Pleadings ("Defs.' Mot."), ECF No. 17, while the plaintiff has moved to compel the complete Administrative Record ("AR"), see generally Pl.'s Mot. Compel AR ("Pl.'s Mot. Compel"), ECF No. 18.1 For the reasons described below, the plaintiff's claims are not moot and the plaintiff has standing to pursue this lawsuit. Accordingly, the defendants' motion is denied while the plaintiff's motion is granted.2

I. BACKGROUND

The statutory framework governing the plaintiff's claims is discussed first, followed by the details of the loan and environmental assessment at issue in this case.

A. Statutory Framework

1. NEPA Environmental Assessments

The NEPA represents "a broad national commitment to protecting and promoting environmental quality," Robertson v. Methow Valley Citizens Council , 490 U.S. 332, 348, 109 S.Ct. 1835, 104 L.Ed.2d 351 (1989) (citing 42 U.S.C. § 4331 ), and was created, in part, for the purpose of "establish[ing] a set of 'action forcing' procedures requiring an environmental impact statement on any proposed major Federal action which could significantly affect the quality of the environment," S. REP. NO. 94-152, at 3 (1975). To this end, the NEPA requires federal agencies, "to the fullest extent possible," to prepare and include an Environmental Impact Statement ("EIS")

*43in "every recommendation or report on proposals for legislation and other major Federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment," 42 U.S.C. § 4332(2)(C) ; see also Winter v. Nat. Res. Def. Council, Inc. , 555 U.S. 7, 15-16, 129 S.Ct. 365, 172 L.Ed.2d 249 (2008), and to consider a number of factors, including "the environmental impact of the proposed action," "any adverse environmental effects which cannot be avoided should the proposal be implemented," and "alternatives to the proposed action," 42 U.S.C. § 4332(2)(C)(i)-(iii). "The statutory requirement that a federal agency contemplating a major action prepare such an [EIS] serves NEPA's 'action-forcing' purpose in two important respects," Robertson , 490 U.S. at 349, 109 S.Ct. 1835, by (1) "ensur[ing] that the agency, in reaching its decision, will have available, and will carefully consider, detailed information concerning significant environmental impacts," and (2) "guarantee[ing] that the relevant information will be made available to the larger audience that may also play a role in both the decisionmaking process and the implementation of that decision," Blue Ridge Envtl. Def. League v. NRC , 716 F.3d 183, 188 (D.C. Cir. 2013) (quoting Robertson , 490 U.S. at 349, 109 S.Ct. 1835 ).

"The Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ), established by NEPA with authority to issue regulations interpreting it, has promulgated regulations to guide federal agencies in determining what actions are subject to" the EIS requirement. Dep't of Transp. v. Pub. Citizen , 541 U.S. 752, 757, 124 S.Ct. 2204, 159 L.Ed.2d 60 (2004) (citing 40 C.F.R.

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Food & Water Watch v. U.S. Dep't of Agric., 325 F. Supp. 3d 39 (D.C. Cir. 2018).

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