The Hawksbill Sea Turtle v. Federal Emergency Management Agency
United States District Court for the District of the Virgin Islands
11 F. Supp. 2d 529 (1998)
- Written by Deanna Curl, JD
Facts
In 1993, Hurricane Marilyn struck St. Thomas and the United States Virgin Islands, displacing thousands of residents. To accommodate displaced residents, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided funding for the Virgin Island Housing Authority to construct temporary housing. The proposed housing site was located near the habitats of the endangered Virgin Islands Tree Boa snake, the endangered Hawksbill Sea Turtle, and the threatened Green Sea Turtle, all species protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). To protect each species during construction, FEMA required workers to clear the site by hand before allowing heavy machinery into the area and developed a plan to protect the area’s water quality. A group of residents (the residents) (plaintiff) sued FEMA (defendant) to block the project, alleging that FEMA’s actions failed to satisfy the ESA’s conservation requirements under § 7(1)(a).
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Brotman, J.)
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