WildEarth Guardians v. Montana Snowmobile Ass'n

790 F.3d 920, 80 ERC (BNA) 2119, 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 10447, 2015 WL 3824898
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedJune 22, 2015
DocketNo. 12-35434
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 790 F.3d 920 (WildEarth Guardians v. Montana Snowmobile Ass'n) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
WildEarth Guardians v. Montana Snowmobile Ass'n, 790 F.3d 920, 80 ERC (BNA) 2119, 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 10447, 2015 WL 3824898 (9th Cir. 2015).

Opinion

OPINION

PAEZ, Circuit Judge:

WildEarth Guardians, Montanans for Quiet Recreation, Inc., and Friends of the Bitterroot, Inc. (collectively,' “Wild-Earth”), challenge the United States Forest Service’s decision to designate over two million acres of public land in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest (“Forest”) for use by winter motorized vehicles, principally snowmobiles. Wild-Earth alleges that the Forest Service’s review of the environmental impacts of snowmobiles under the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”)1 was inadequate in several material respects. Wild-Earth also alleges that the Forest Service failed to comply with the minimization requirements . of Executive Order 11644. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand for further proceedings.

I.

At 3.85 million-acres, the Forest is the largest national forest in the state of Montana. The island mountain ranges within the Forest provide a variety of habitats spanning from cold desert to alpine peaks. Over 300 terrestrial land species live in the Forest, including grizzly bears, wolves, wolverines, lynx, and a broad variety of “big game” species, such as mule deer, white-tailed deer, black bear, moose, elk, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, and antelope. The Forest is also nationally renowned as a recreation destination. Recreational opportunities include non-motorized activities such as fishing, hunting, hiking, skiing, and mountain biking, as well as motorized activities, including motorcycle riding and snowmobiling.

In 2002, the Forest Service issued a notice of intent to revise the Land and Resource Management Plan (“forest plan”) for the Forest pursuant to the National Forest Management Act, 16 U.S.C. § 1604. 67 Fed.Reg. 22,396 (May 3, 2002). The purpose of a forest plan is to guide decisions regarding natural resource management and other activity over a period of ten to. fifteen years. Because a forest plan may have a significant impact on the environment, NEPA requires the Forest Service to prepare an environmental impact statement.

In January 2009, after considering various alternative plans, the Regional Forester signed and released a Record of Decision (“ROD”) approving the Environmental Impact Statement2 (“EIS”) and adopting the Beaverhead-Deerlodge Re[923]*923vised Forest Plan (“Revised Forest Plan” or “Revised Plan”). The Revised Plan, which adopts “modified Alternative Six,” covers eight “revision topics,” including “Recreation and Travel Management,” which governs snowmobile access within the Forest. The Revised Forest Plan divides the Forest into twelve different “landscape areas,” which are, in turn, divided into multiple “management areas.” In 2010, the Forest Service issued a second ROD (“2010 ROD”) implementing the travel management decisions in the Revised Plan.

At issue in this case is the designation in the Revised Forest Plan of over two million acres, or 60%, of the Forest for snowmobile use. As compared to prior forest plans,3 the Revised Plan decreased the area open to snowmobiles. The revision, however, will not necessarily result in a reduction of snowmobile impacts. There has been a sharp increase in snowmobile use since the 1980s, and advances in technology allow snowmobiles to reach altitudes and terrain not previously accessible.

The Regional Forester acknowledged in the ROD that “the unmanaged expansion of motorized uses[, including snowmobiles,] has resulted in resource damage, wildlife impacts, and competition and conflict between user groups.” Snowmobiles affect wildlife in part because they stress animals and provoke a flight response during the winter season, when the animals are particularly vulnerable to depletion of their energy reserves. Because some species avoid all motorized vehicles, snowmobiles can effectively reduce the amount of available habitat. There is also evidence that snowmobiles can disturb reproduction cycles of wildlife species such as the wolverine. In addition to disturbing wildlife, snowmobiles can interfere with non-motorized winter recreation activities because of the noise and pollution they generate.

WildEarth and other groups filed a number of administrative appeals challenging the EIS and ROD. In October 2009, the Reviewing Officer for the Forest Service consolidated and rejected the appeals. WildEarth subsequently filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Montana. Relevant to this appeal, WildEarth alleged that: (1) the Forest Service violated NEPA because it failed to analyze adequately the site-specific impacts of snowmobile use on big game winter habitat and conflicting recreational uses; (2) the Forest Service violated Executive Order 11644, 37 Fed.Reg. 2877 (Feb. 8, 1972), and Executive Order 11989, 42 Fed.Reg. 26,959 (May 24, 1977), because it failed to apply specified criteria when designating areas open to snowmobile use; and, (3) Subpart C of the 2005 Travel Management Rule (“TMR”), 36 C.F.R. §§ 212.80-81, which exempts over-snow vehicles (“OSVs”) from compliance with the minimization criteria in Executive Order 11644 and 11989, is invalid. The Montana Snowmobile Association and the Idaho State Snowmobile Association intervened as Defendants.

The parties filed cross-motions for summary judgment, which the district court granted in part, and denied in part. Wildlands CPR, Inc. v. U.S. Forest Serv., 872 F.Supp.2d 1064 (D.Mont.2012). The court concluded that, although the Forest Service’s environmental analysis of snowmobile impacts on wildlife “laek[ed] clarity,” the analysis was nevertheless adequate given the deference afforded to agencies by the Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”), 5 U.S.C. § 704, and NEPA. Id. at 1078. Turning to Executive Order 11644, the court concluded that the Forest Ser[924]*924vice met the Order’s requirements in designating the general areas to close to snowmobile- use, but not in making designations at the route-specific level. Id. at 1082. Finally, the .court ruled that Wild-Earth’s challenge to the exemption for over-snow vehicles in Subpart C of the TMR was not ripé because the Forest Service did not rely on Subpart C to justify its actions under the Revised Forest Plan. Id. at 1083.

WildEarth timely appealed. We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291.

II.

We review de novo the district court’s grant of summary judgment. Lands Council v. Powell, 395 F.3d 1019, 1026 (9th Cir.2005). A final agency action “for which there is no other adequate remedy in a court” is subject to judicial review under the APA. 5 U.S.C. § 704; W. Radio Servs. Co. v. U.S. Forest Serv., 578 F.3d 1116, 1122 (9th Cir.2009). We may set aside an agency’s action if it is “arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law.” 5 U.S.C. § 706(2)(A); Pauly v. U.S. Dep’t of Agric., 348 F.3d 1143, 1148 (9th Cir.2003).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
790 F.3d 920, 80 ERC (BNA) 2119, 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 10447, 2015 WL 3824898, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wildearth-guardians-v-montana-snowmobile-assn-ca9-2015.