Articles

Mixed decision in Oregon grazing case

June 10, 2010 | By PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION

Author:  Damien M. Schiff Yesterday, the District of Oregon issued a decision in Oregon Natural Desert Association v. Tidwell, a case pitting enviromental groups intent on protecting steelhead species (a type of salmonid), against the federal government, as well as private individuals who rely upon grazing permits from the Forest Service for ...

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U.S. Forest Service closes vast portion of Tahoe Nat'l Forest to public; PLF fights back

July 17, 2012 | By PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION

On September 21, 2010, the United States Forest Service released this letter to the American public, announcing the completion of Tahoe National Forest Motorized Travel Management Project and the implementation of the Forest Service’s 2005 Travel Management Rule. According to the Forest Service’s letter, the agency’s implementatio ...

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Supremes to consider The New 49'ers tomorrow

March 14, 2013 | By DAMIEN SCHIFF

In Karuk Tribe of California v. United States Forest Service, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that notices of intent to mine on national forest lands trigger the obligation for the Forest Service to consult with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service over the impacts of the proposed mining ...

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Supreme Court to review another 9th Circuit environmental decision

March 19, 2013 | By DAMIEN SCHIFF

On Monday, the Supreme Court granted cert in United States Forest Service v. Pacific Rivers Council, to review the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ 2-1 decision overturning the Forest Service’s assessment of the environmental impacts of proposed amendments to management plans for eleven Sierra Nevada national forests.  This marks the ...

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PLF levels the field against frivolous federal litigation positions

November 11, 2013 | By TONY FRANCOIS

Recently, the House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation held an interesting hearing on “Threats, Intimidation and Bullying by Federal Land Management Agencies.”  The witnesses, most of them cattle ranchers from Western states, poignantly summarized the legal and regu ...

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PLF files amicus brief in Supreme Court in support of State of Alaska

December 06, 2013 | By TONY FRANCOIS

The State of Alaska has asked the United States Supreme Court to review a decision of the Ninth Circuit which says that the federal government, instead of the state, has the power to regulate hunting and fishing in navigable waters in Alaska.  PLF has filed an amicus brief in support of Alaska, encouraging the high … ...

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PLF to forest service : stop coveting private water rights

August 25, 2014 | By TONY FRANCOIS

Last Friday Pacific Legal Foundation filed this comment letter with the United States Forest Service, in opposition to a proposed policy that would prevent the owners of private water rights from transferring them under state law from existing uses to other more economical uses. The American West has an interesting history of privately held rights ...

Articles

Have we mentioned the Forest Service lately?

October 06, 2014 | By TONY FRANCOIS

The Forest Service has been earning some attention lately from Pacific Legal Foundation, between the agency’s proposal to seize water rights from ski area operators, to its breathtaking plan to require permits to take pictures of National Forests.  Next, we feature the Service’s plan to expand its domain into regulation of groundwater, ...

Articles

Forest Service repudiates its history by opposing private water rights

December 01, 2014 | By TONY FRANCOIS

Liberty Blog readers will recall Pacific Legal Foundation’s recent comment letters to the United States Forest Service, objecting to the Service’s policy and practice of illegally claiming and demanding private water rights in its administration of the nation’s public timber supply. The September 2014 issue of Irrigation Leader m ...