Print

Case Law Updates on the Environment (CLUE) Database

Year in Review Reports

NEPA Case Law for Highway, Transit and Rail Projects: 2019 Year in Review

This paper summarizes federal court decisions issued in 2019 in cases involving environmental reviews for highway, transit, passenger rail, and airport projects. This paper accompanies the case law summaries posted on the Case Law Updates on the Environment (CLUE) Database on the Center for Environmental Excellence by AASHTO. On CLUE, each case is summarized separately. This paper provides a brief summary of each case, followed by summaries of key holdings on a topic-by-topic basis.

View Paper (July 2020) [214 KB]

NEPA Case Law for Highway, Transit and Rail Projects: 2018 Year in Review

This paper summarizes federal court decisions issued in 2018 in cases involving environmental reviews for highway, transit, passenger rail, and airport projects. This paper accompanies the case law summaries posted on the Case Law Updates on the Environment (CLUE) Database on the Center for Environmental Excellence by AASHTO. On CLUE, each case is summarized separately. This paper provides a brief summary of each case, followed by summaries of key holdings on a topic-by-topic basis.

View Paper (April 2019) [563 KB]

NEPA Case Law for Highway, Transit and Rail Projects: 2017 Year in Review

This paper summarizes federal court decisions issued in 2017 in cases involving environmental reviews for highway, transit, passenger rail, and airport projects. This paper accompanies the case law summaries posted on the Case Law Updates on the Environment (CLUE) Database on the Center for Environmental Excellence by AASHTO. On CLUE, each case is summarized separately. This paper provides a brief summary of each case, followed by summaries of key holdings on a topic-by-topic basis.

View Paper (March 2018) [1.15 MB]

NEPA Case Law for Highway, Transit and Rail Projects: 2016 Year in Review

This paper summarizes federal court decisions issued in 2016 in cases involving environmental reviews for highway, transit, and passenger rail projects. This paper accompanies the case law summaries posted on the Case Law Updates on the Environment (CLUE) Database on the Center for Environmental Excellence by AASHTO. On CLUE, each case is summarized separately. This paper provides a brief summary of each case, followed by summaries of key holdings on a topic-by-topic basis.

View Paper (March 2017) [1 MB]

NEPA Case Law for Highway, Transit and Rail Projects: 2015 Year in Review

This paper highlights key court decisions involving the NEPA process for transportation projects in 2015. The Case Law Updates on the Environment (CLUE) Database on the Center for Environmental Excellence by AASHTO website features 18 case summaries from 2015, with issues spanning from alternative analysis and traffic forecasts to claims of predetermination and the very existence of "federal action".

The accompanying Year in Review webinar, held March 22, 2016 described how these decisions could impact transportation projects nationwide, and concluded with a Question & Answer session with Bill Malley, legal expert and author of the case law updates.

View Paper (March 2016) [1 MB]
View Webinar Announcement [1.78 MB]
View Webinar Presentation [502 KB]
View Webinar Recording

FHWA and FTA NEPA Case Law: 2014 Year in Review

This paper highlights key court decisions involving the NEPA process for transportation projects in 2014. The Case Law Updates on the Environment (CLUE) Database on the Center for Environmental Excellence by AASHTO website features 18 case summaries from 2014.

View Paper (June 2015) [1 MB]