Sierra Club v. Department of the Interior

424 F. Supp. 172, 8 ERC 2196, 6 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 20605, 8 ERC (BNA) 2196, 1976 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14748
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedJune 7, 1976
Docket73 0163
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 424 F. Supp. 172 (Sierra Club v. Department of the Interior) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sierra Club v. Department of the Interior, 424 F. Supp. 172, 8 ERC 2196, 6 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 20605, 8 ERC (BNA) 2196, 1976 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14748 (N.D. Cal. 1976).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION

SWEIGERT, District Judge.

On July 16, 1975, this court made its order finding that defendants, Department of Interior, Secretary of Interior and Assistant Secretary thereof for Fish, Wildlife and Parks (hereinafter, “Interior”), had failed to take steps to exercise and perform certain duties imposed upon Interior by the National Park System Act, 16 U.S.C. § 1 et seq., and by the Redwood National Park Act, 16 U.S.C. § 79a et seq., for the protection of that Park, 398 F.Supp. 284.

In that order Interior was directed to take reasonable steps within a reasonable time to exercise the powers vested in it by law (particularly 16 U.S.C. Secs. 79c(e), 79c(d) and 79b(a)) and to perform the duties imposed upon it by law (particularly 16 U.S.C. § 1) — in order to afford as full protection as is reasonably possible to the timber, soil and streams within the boundaries of the Redwood National Park from adverse consequences of lumbering and land *173 use practices on lands located on the periphery of the Park and on watershed tributaries to streams which flow into the Park.

The order specifically further provided that, if reasonably necessary, ■ defendants should exercise their power of acquisition of interests in land and/or execution of contracts or cooperative agreements with the owners of land on the periphery or watershed, as authorized in 16 U.S.C. See. 79c(e); also, if reasonably necessary, modify the boundaries of the Park, as authorized in 16 U.S.C. Sec. 79b(a); also,-if reasonably necessary, resort to the Congress for a determination whether further authorization or appropriation of funds will be made for the taking of the foregoing steps and whether the powers and duties of defendants are to remain, or should be modified.

Pursuant to said order defendants have filed herein progress reports dated 11/25/75, 12/15/75, 2/17/76, 3/5/76 and 3/18/76, concerning their efforts to comply with the directives of said order.

Re Compliance by Interior to Date with Order of July 15, 1975

From those reports and after hearings thereon the court finds as follows:

On July 15, 1975, Interior informed the Chairmen of the House and Senate Committees on Interior and Insular Affairs of the status of land acquisition and management of the Park and on August 11, 1975 Interior further informed these Chairmen on the same subject, including specific reference to and enclosing a copy of this court’s order of July 16, 1975.

On December 24, 1975, Interior sent to the Congress its “Report to the Congress” re Redwood National Park (dated 12/16/75), setting forth five alternative options for protection of the Park. The five alternatives proposed were:

(1) Reliance on state regulation; (2) cooperative agreements (involving the execution of new cooperative agreements with timber operators); (3) acquisition of land through leasing and less-than-fee interests —(including certain kinds of agreements, e. g., moratorium on logging or higher logging standards which might involve payment of reimbursement); (4) acquisition of fee interest in lands (involving the acquisition of additional land, e. g., to enlarge present boundaries); (5) long-range land use planning (involving the establishment of a future resource protection program for the entire watershed area). 1

As set forth in that Report, several of the proposed alternatives, i. e., acquisition of land through leasing, less-than-fee interests (involving some kinds of agreed practices requiring reimbursement to timber owners) and acquisition of fee interests in land would involve the expenditure of funds in an amount that could range from about 15 to 500 million dollars — depending upon the alternative, or combination of alternatives, selected.

Interior has determined that it has not had funds available to it for implementing such alternatives.

Further, Interior has no independent authority to directly and formally request additional funds from Congress for those purposes, because any requests to Congress must be made through the President, acting through the President’s Office of Management and Budget. (See, Sec. 31 U.S.C. §§ 14, 15,16; Executive Order 11541; OMB Circular A-19).

As early as March 5, 1973, Interior submitted to OMB for its approval the so-called Curry Report of February, 1973, which report contained a recommendation that a “buffer zone” of land located around the Redwood Creek corridor of the Park be acquired. On March 8,1973, however, OMB rejected this recommendation of the Curry Report, stating that in its judgment the acquisition of such a buffer zone would cost 15 million dollars or more and would pro *174 vide only a limited and uncertain increment of protection for Redwood Creek.

Since March 8, 1973, Interior has not made further requests to the President, through OMB, for additional funds. Its stated reason for this is that, by February 17, 1976, it had determined that, if it could be given by new legislation granting to Interior new additional regulatory power over peripheral timber operations, such additional regulatory power would be adequate for the protection of the Park without expenditure of further funds.

Such requests for new legislation are also required by the Executive to be made through the President’s Office of Management and Budget. (See, 31 U.S.C. Sec. 16; Executive Order No. 11541; OMB Circular A-19).

Accordingly, on February 1, 1976, Interi- or made such a request through OMB, for specifically proposed legislation granting to it such additional regulatory power. However, on April 7, 1976, OMB disapproved that request for the stated reason that such expansion of federal regulation of private property (without compensable takings) should not be sought.

On March 1, 1976, Interior proposed to the three major timber companies involved certain further timber harvesting guidelines and requested voluntary compliance therewith, but, on March 2,1976, the timber companies announced the adoption of their own guidelines, and on March 19, 1976, the timber companies formally rejected Interi- or’s proposed guidelines. Interior had also unsuccessfully made previous requests of said timber companies (i. e., on July 31, 1975, August 21, 1975 and September 26, 1975) for an 18 months cutting moratorium in specified areas.

On November 17, 1975 and November 18, 1975, Interior also appeared before the California State Board of Forestry requesting the Board to adopt certain timber harvesting guidelines proposed by Interior, but that the California Board has not adopted the proposed guidelines. In a letter dated March 1, 1976, to the Governor of the State of California, Interior referred to the State Board of Forestry’s rejection of Interior’s proposals and requested the Governor to personally review the situation facing the Park.

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Bluebook (online)
424 F. Supp. 172, 8 ERC 2196, 6 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 20605, 8 ERC (BNA) 2196, 1976 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14748, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sierra-club-v-department-of-the-interior-cand-1976.