一些法律消息人士称,涉及Mingo Logan Coal的案件的裁决可能会对类似的案件产生影响。

7月19日,美国哥伦比亚特区巡回上诉法院的一个三名法官小组维持了一项较低的法官裁决,即美国环境保护署在决定撤回清洁的决定中适当履行了其根据《行政程序法》(APA)的义务西弗吉尼亚州的山顶采矿项目(CWA)挖泥许可证。18luck官网

Mingo Logan煤炭argued that, because the EPA did not consider the costs associated with revoking the permit, the agency’s decision was “arbitrary and capricious.”

writing for the majority, Judge Karen Henderson wrote, “The EPA’s ex-post withdrawal is a product of its broad veto authority under the CWA, not a procedural defect.”

但是,撰写异议的多数派和布雷特·卡瓦诺(Brett Kavanaugh)法官都同意,如果证据清楚地向该机构提供了证据,EPA确实需要考虑与撤销许可证相关的费用。18luck.cub通常,EPA没有义务考虑在CWA下做出允许决策的费用。18luck.cub法院首次裁定,实际上,在某些情况下,该机构必须这样做,他是美国相关总承包商总法律顾问迈克·肯尼迪(Mike Kennedy)说。

2013年,上诉法院裁定,EPA有权根据CWA撤回许可证,但将APA问题还给下级法院。Mingo Logan的母公司Arch Coal向最高法院提出上诉,但法院拒绝了该公司的要求。

前司法律师兼华盛顿特区Dawson Associates的高级顾问拉里·利伯斯曼(Larry Liebesman)表示,此案“进一步肯定”,EPA随时否决了CWA允许的广泛权力。

A spokeswoman for Arch Coal said the firm is “disappointed” in the ruling and is considering future options.

Liebesman says it is possible that the company could ask for the full appeals court to hear the case, “but those are very rarely granted, so that is a long shot.”