Fertilizer Institute v. Environmental Protection Agency
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
935 F.2d 1303 (1991)
- Written by Liz Nakamura, JD
Facts
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (defendant) set a reportable-quantity rule for when a release of radionuclides into the environment triggered the notification requirements under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Radionuclides are radioactive forms of elements with unstable nuclei that release radiation as part of radioactive decay. The EPA’s reportable-quantity rule stated that merely storing radionuclides in an unenclosed containment structure, defined as any structure with at least one open side, counted as a reportable release even if no actual release into the air, water, or soil occurred. The EPA claimed this was necessary because storing radionuclides in an unenclosed container created a high risk the radionuclides would be released into the environment. Fertilizer Institute (plaintiff), among other businesses, petitioned for review.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Henderson, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,400 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.