Ozark Society v. United States Forest Service, No. 16-1952 (8th Cir. 2017)
Annotate this CasePlaintiffs filed suit challenging the Forest Service's determination that an 85-fold increase in predicted drilling in the Ozark–St. Francis National Forests did not require a "correction, supplement, or revision" to the original environmental analysis. The Eighth Circuit dismissed the suit based on lack of jurisdiction, holding that plaintiffs failed to identify any particular member who stands to be harmed by the government action it challenges, and that plaintiffs lack a concrete interest in this dispute.
Court Description: Chief Judge Smith, Author, with Kelly, Circuit Judges and Sipple, District Judge] Civil Case - Environmental Matter. Nonprofit conservation and recreation group sought declaratory judgment declaring as arbitrary and capricious the Forest Service's decision that it need not create, supplement or revise the original 2010 Supplemental Information Report after the prediction about future gas development in the Ozark National Forest increased 85 times. This appeal from the district court's order denying relief is dismissed for lack of jurisdiction; Ozark Society lacks standing, as it did not argue the Forest Service's action affect all its members in a concrete way and it failed to identify an individual member who has a specific plan to use the national forest in the future.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.