Robertson v. Methow Valley Citizens Council
E77022
Robertson v. Methow Valley Citizens Council is a 1989 U.S. Supreme Court case that clarified the scope of federal agencies’ obligations under NEPA, holding that the Act requires thorough environmental impact analysis but not the adoption of any particular mitigation measures.
Statements (30)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
United States Supreme Court case
ⓘ
administrative law case ⓘ environmental law case ⓘ |
| abbreviation |
National Environmental Policy Act
ⓘ
surface form:
NEPA
|
| areaOfLaw |
environmental impact assessment
ⓘ
federal administrative procedure ⓘ |
| category |
United States Supreme Court cases on administrative law
ⓘ
United States Supreme Court cases on environmental law ⓘ |
| citation | 490 U.S. 332 ⓘ |
| clarifies | that NEPA does not impose a substantive duty on agencies to achieve particular environmental outcomes ⓘ |
| country |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| court | Supreme Court of the United States ⓘ |
| decisionDate | 1989 ⓘ |
| EISRequirement | case clarifies the content and scope of environmental impact statements under NEPA ⓘ |
| holding |
National Environmental Policy Act
ⓘ
surface form:
NEPA does not require federal agencies to adopt any particular mitigation measures identified in an environmental impact statement
National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ
surface form:
NEPA is essentially procedural and does not mandate particular substantive environmental results
NEPA requires federal agencies to prepare a thorough environmental impact statement for major federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment ⓘ |
| impact |
frequently cited in later NEPA litigation
ⓘ
limited the extent to which courts can require agencies to implement specific mitigation measures under NEPA ⓘ reinforced the procedural nature of NEPA obligations ⓘ |
| jurisdiction |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| legalPrinciple |
federal agencies must take a hard look at environmental consequences before taking major actions
ⓘ
mitigation measures must be discussed in an environmental impact statement but need not be adopted ⓘ |
| legalSubject | National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ |
| party |
Methow Valley Citizens Council
ⓘ
Robertson ⓘ |
| requires | disclosure and consideration of environmental consequences before agency action ⓘ |
| statuteInterpreted |
National Environmental Policy Act
ⓘ
surface form:
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
|
| subjectMatter | federal approval of a development project with potential environmental impacts ⓘ |
| yearDecided | 1989 ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.