PLF applauds Supreme Court acceptance of forest-road runoff case

BELLEVUE, WA;  June 25, 2012: Pacific Legal Foundation applauded today’s announcement by the United States Supreme Court that it will hear two cases, arising out of Oregon, dealing with whether normal water runoff from forest roads can be considered pollution under the Clean Water Act — Decker v. Northwest Environmental Defense Center; Georgia-Pacific West, Inc. v. NEDC.

PLF attorney Daniel A. Himebaugh issued this statement today:

Daniel A. Himebaugh Attorney

“It is great news that the U.S. Supreme Court is taking another look at a troubling decision by the Ninth Circuit that threatens the viability of responsible forest use and management in the Pacific Northwest. Going along with the arguments of radical environmentalists, the Ninth Circuit held that normal rainwater running off forest roads must be regulated as pollution under the Clean Water Act. This astonishing concept would inundate the owners of forest roads with crippling new federal permitting requirements. Even the EPA opposed this extreme environmentalist agenda, which would impose enormous, unnecessary costs on up to three million forest land owners with little, if any, environmental benefit. Potentially millions of new permit applications would be required, and EPA simply isn’t equipped to handle that load, so you’d have regulatory gridlock.

“Pacific Legal Foundation submitted an amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to review the Ninth Circuit’s disturbing opinion, and we’re very glad the High Court has accepted the case. It is now in the Supreme Court’s hands to save us from a new regulatory regime that would severely cripple important forest management efforts, and responsible, productive timber harvesting — with a potentially drastic impact on jobs and the economy.”

Read PLF’s amicus brief, asking the Supreme Court to take the case.

About Pacific Legal Foundation and its Pacific Northwest Center
Donor-supported Pacific Legal Foundation is the leading legal watchdog organization that litigates for limited government and property rights, in courts nationwide. PLF’s Pacific Northwest Center is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington.