Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. v. U.S. E.P.A.
| Decision Date | 30 December 1988 |
| Docket Number | No. 80-1607,80-1607 |
| Citation | 273 U.S.App.D.C. 180,859 F.2d 156 |
| Parties | , 273 U.S.App.D.C. 180, 57 USLW 2185, 19 Envtl. L. Rep. 20,016 NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL, INC., Petitioner, v. U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY and Lee M. Thomas, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Respondents, Chemical Manufacturers Association, American Iron & Steel Institute, Edison Electric Institute, et al., Cincinnati Gas & Electric Co., et al., Tenneco Oil Company, et al., Atlantic Cement Company, Inc., et al., National Coal Association, General Motors Corporation, Ford Motor Company, Alabama Power Company, et al., Intervenors. |
| Court | U.S. Court of Appeals — District of Columbia Circuit |
Margaret N. Strand, Stephen L. Samuels, Attys., Dept. of Justice, and Pamela Savage, Atty., E.P.A., with whom Roger J. Marzulla, Acting Asst. Atty. Gen., Dept. of Justice, Francis S. Blake, Gen. Counsel, E.P.A., Susan G. Lepow, Associate Gen. Counsel, E.P.A., and Ashley Doherty, Elliott P. Laws and Lawrence R. Liebesman, Attys., Dept. of Justice, Washington, D.C., were on the brief, for respondents in Nos. 80-1607, et al. Michael Carlton and David T. Buente, Jr., Attys., Dept. of Justice, Washington, D.C., also entered appearances for respondents.
Stark Ritchie, David Lindgren, James K. Jackson, Washington, D.C., Arnold S. Block, Philadelphia, Pa., Richard H. Caldwell, Houston, Tex., and Richard E. Powers, Jr., Washington, D.C., entered appearances for American Petroleum Institute, et al., petitioners in 80-1660, 80-1875, 80-1881, 81-1577, 81-1709 and 85-1010.
Thomas M. Lemberg and Leonard A. Miller, Washington, D.C., entered appearances for The Ferroalloys Ass'n, petitioner in 80-1723.
Roger S. Greene, Irvine, Cal., entered an appearance for Citizens for a Better Environment, etc., et al., in 80-1740, 80-2114 and 82-1563.
Leonard A. Miller and Kenneth A. Strassner, Washington, D.C., entered appearances for Kimberly-Clark Corp., petitioner in No. 80-1809.
Joseph H. Price, Washington, D.C., and Roger Sterlow entered appearances for Avtex Fibers, Inc., petitioner in 80-1837.
William R. Weissman, Washington, D.C., entered an appearance for Edison Elec. Institute, et al., petitioners in 80-1889.
John R. Quarles, Jr. and Kenneth A. Rubin, Washington, D.C., entered appearances for Stablex Corp., petitioner in 80-1909.
Peter J. Nickles, Charles H. Montange and Kenneth E. Carroll, Washington, D.C., entered appearances for Kerr-McGee Nuclear Corp., et al., petitioners in 80-1914.
Walter G. Talarek and Seth Goldberg, Washington, D.C., entered appearances for American Wood Preservers Institute, petitioner in 80-1923, 85-1025 and 85-1128 and intervenor in 80-1607.
John N. Hanson, Washington, D.C., entered an appearance for American Mining Congress, et al., petitioners in 80-1927.
Lisa Anderson, Washington, D.C., entered an appearance for Texas Oil & Gas Corp., petitioner in 80-1929.
John W. Behringer, Jonathan Z. Cannon and Karl S. Bourdeau, Washington, D.C., entered appearances for The Dow Chemical Co., petitioner in 80-1933.
John B. Fahey, East Hartford, Conn., entered an appearance for United Technologies Corp., et al., petitioners in 80-1966.
Louis E. Tosi, Julius J. Hollis, Douglas G. Haynam and Leonard F. Charla, Detroit, Mich., entered appearances for General Motors Corp., petitioner in 80-1970, 81-1757 and intervenor in 80-1607.
John T. Smith, II and Clare Dalton, Washington, D.C., entered appearances for Chemical Mfrs. Ass'n, et al., petitioners in 80-1975 and intervenors in 80-1978.
Khristine L. Hall and Robert V. Percival, Washington, D.C., entered appearances for Environmental Defense Fund, Inc., petitioner in 80-1978 and intervenor in 80-1607.
John D. Fognani, Denver, Colo., and John D. Austin, Jr., Washington, D.C., entered appearances for American Min. Congress, et al., petitioners in 80-1987.
Norton F. Tennille, Jr. and Lester Sotsky, Washington, D.C., entered appearances for Amax, Inc., petitioner in 80-2002.
Blake A. Biles, Washington, D.C., entered an appearance for The Lubrizal Corp., petitioner in 80-2007.
Alfred V.J. Prather, Carl B. Nelson, Jr. and Edwin H. Seeger, Washington, D.C., entered appearances for Kennecott Corp., petitioner in 80-2279 and 81-1574 and intervenor in 85-1019.
Robert E. Payne and David E. Evans, Richmond, Va., entered appearances for American Paper Institute, et al., petitioners in 81-1573 and intervenors in 80-1978.
John McN. Cramer and Daniel A. Masur, Washington, D.C., entered appearances for The American Iron & Steel Institute, et al., petitioners in 81-1576 and 85-1009 and intervenor in 80-1607.
Larry B. Feldcamp, Houston, Tex., Charles M. Darling, IV, J. Patrick Berry and Stephen Teichler, Washington, D.C., entered appearances for Pennzoil Corp., petitioner in 81-1708.
T.S. Ellis III, Richmond, Va., entered an appearance for Ford Motor Co., petitioner in 81-1748.
Lewis T. Smoak, Greenville, S.C., entered an appearance for American Textile Mfrs. Institute, Inc., petitioner in 85-1017.
Charles D. Ossola, Washington, D.C., entered an appearance for National Coal Ass'n, petitioner in 85-1024.
Charles S. Mullen, Seattle, Wash., entered an appearance for Wyckoff Co., petitioner in 85-1067.
William C. Brashares, Washington, D.C., entered an appearance for National Solid Wastes Management Assoc., intervenor in 80-1607.
Charles M. Darling, IV, J. Patrick Berry and Stephen L. Teichler, Washington, D.C., entered appearances for Tenneco Oil Co., et al., intervenors in 80-1607, 81-1575 and 81-1577.
George L. Edgar and Thomas A. Schmutz, Washington, D.C., entered appearances for Project Management Corp., intervenor in 80-1607.
William R. Weissman, Thomas H. Truitt and Charles C. Abeles, Washington, D.C., entered appearances for Cincinnati Gas & Elec. Co., et al., intervenors in 80-1607.
George C. Freeman, Jr., Richmond, Va., and William E. Anderson, II, Danville, Va., entered appearances for Virginia Elec. & Power Co., et al., intervenors in 81-1575 and 81-1577.
Kathleen M. Falk, Madison, Wis., entered an appearance for Wisconsin's Environmental Decade, Inc., amicus curiae, in 80-1740.
Before ROBINSON, STARR and WILLIAMS, * Circuit Judges.
Opinion for the Court filed PER CURIAM.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
I. Ripeness 165
II. The NEPARelated Regulations 167
A. Permit Conditions Unrelated to Effluents--Ripeness 168
B. Permit Conditions Unrelated to Effluents--Merits 168
C. EffluentRelated Permit Conditions 170
D. Admissibility of Evidence in Permit Proceedings 171
III. State Program Requirements 172
A. Penalties and Participation--Ripeness 173
B. Penalties and Participation--Merits 173
1. Regulatory uniformity and state autonomy ..... 174
2. Public participation ......................... 175
3. Maximum penalties ............................ 178
C. EPA Veto Authority--Ripeness 181
D. EPA Veto Authority--Merits 182
IV. Toxicity Limitations 189
A. Statutory Authority 189
B. Technical Feasibility 189
C. Intrusion on State Authority 190
D. Procedural Claims 190
V. NonAdversary Panel Procedures 191
A. The Merits of the Procedures 192
1. Oral testimony and cross examination ......... 192
2. The panels' composition ...................... 193
B. Defects in the Mode of Adoption 194
VI. The Antibacksliding Controversy 195
A. The NSPS Issue 196
B. Attack on the BPJ Regulation--Ripeness 196
C. Attack on the BPJ Regulation--Merits 197
D. Application of the New WQA Rules 204
VII. Net/Gross Limits 204
VIII. Upset Defense 205
A. Ripeness 205
B. Merits 206
IX. APA Continuance 211
A. Ripeness 211
B. Merits 212
1. Consistency with Clean Water Act scheme ......
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CHAPTER 12 CLEAN WATER ACT PERMITTING OVERVIEW: SECTIONS 402 AND 404
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Table of authorities
...Natural Resources Defense Council Inc. v. EPA, 822 F.2d 104 (D.C. Cir. 1987).........348 Natural Resources Defense Council Inc. v. EPA, 859 F.2d 156, 19 ELR 20016 (D.C. Cir. 1988) .................................................................................................. 411 Natural ......