TROUT UNLIMITED v. U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE

Nos. 04-1317, 04-1346.

441 F.3d 1214 (2006)

TROUT UNLIMITED; Colorado Trout Unlimited; Ronald W. Albert, Plaintiffs-Appellees-Cross-Appellants, v. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE; USDA Forest Service; Dan Glickman; Jack Ward Thomas, Chief, United States Forest Service; James R. Lyons, Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Conversation, U.S. Department of Agriculture; Elizabeth Estill, Regional Forester, Rocky Mountain Region, U.S. Forest Service; M.M. Underwood, Forest Supervisor, Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, Defendants-Cross-Appellees, and The Water Supply and Storage Company, a Colorado nonprofit corporation; City of Greeley, a Colorado municipal corporation; City of Greeley Water and Sewer Board; Colorado Water Conservation Board; Colorado State Engineer, Defendants-Intervenors-Appellants-Cross-Appellees, State of Idaho; State of Nevada; State of North Dakota; State of Utah; State of Wyoming; Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District; Colorado Farm Bureau; Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District; Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District; Southwestern Conservation District; Rio Grande Water Conservation District; Building Industry Association of Washington; Washington State Farm Bureau; Washington State Grange; Idaho Farm Bureau Federation; Early Winters Ditch Company, Inc.; Pacific Legal Foundation, Amici Curiae.

United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit.

March 28, 2006.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Carol D. Angel, First Assistant Attorney General, Colorado State Attorney General's Office (Ken Salazar, Attorney General, Alan Gilbert, Solicitor General, Peter J. Ampe, Assistant Attorney General, Colorado State Attorney General's Office with her on the briefs, and John W. Suthers, Attorney General and Allison Eid, Solicitor General, with her on the reply brief), Denver, CO, for Defendant-Intervenor-Appellant-Cross-Appellee Colorado State Engineer and Colorado Water Conservation Board.

William R. Fischer, Fischer, Brown & Gunn, P.C., Fort Collins, CO (James S. Witwer, Trout, Raley, Montano, Witwer & Freeman, P.C., Denver, CO, John A. Kolanz, Assistant City Attorney, Greeley City Attorney's Office, Greeley, CO, with him on the brief for Defendants-Intervenors-Appellants-Cross-Appellees The City of Greeley and Greeley Water and Sewer Board), for Defendant-Intervenor-Appellant-Cross-Appellee The Water Supply and Storage Company.

Michael K. Murphy, of Counsel, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP, Washington, D.C. (Christopher H. Buckley, Jr., of Counsel, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP, Washington, D.C., J. Gregory Whitehair, Robert C. Marshall, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP, Denver, CO, with him on the briefs) for Plaintiffs-Appellees-Cross-Appellants Trout Unlimited, Colorado Trout Unlimited and Ronald W. Albert.

Ellen J. Durkee, United States Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. (Kelly A. Johnson, Acting Assistant Attorney General, Environment & Natural Resources Division, David W. Gehlert, Todd Aagaard, Robert H. Oakley, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., Lois Witte, of Counsel, Office of the General Counsel, Department of Agriculture, Denver, CO, with her on the briefs) for Defendants-Cross-Appellees.

Lawrence G. Wasden, Attorney General, Clive J. Strong, Chief, Natural Resources Division, Clay R. Smith, Deputy Attorneys General, Boise, ID, for State of Idaho, Brian Sandoval, Attorney General, Carson City, NV, for State of Nevada, Wayne Stenehjem, Attorney General, Bismarck, ND for State of North Dakota, Larry Long, Attorney General, Pierre, SD, for State of South Dakota, Mark Shurtleff, Attorney General, Salt Lake City, UT, for State of Utah, Patrick J. Crank, Attorney General, Cheyenne, WY, for State of Wyoming, filed a combined amici curiae brief.

Robin L. Rivett, Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento CA, Russell C. Brooks, Pacific Legal Foundation, Bellevue, WA, filed an amici curiae brief on behalf of Building Industry Association of Washington, Washington State Farm Bureau, Washington State Grange, Idaho Farm Bureau Federation, Early Winters Ditch Company and Pacific Legal Foundation.

Lee E. Miller, Alix L. Joseph, Burns, Figa & Will, P.C., Englewood, CO, for Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District and Colorado Farm Bureau, Robert V. Trout, Trout, Witwer & Freeman, P.C., Denver, CO, for Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, Julianne M. Woldridge, MacDougall, Woldridge & Worley, P.C., Colorado Springs, CO, for Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District, David W. Robbins, Hill & Robbins, P.C., Denver, CO, for Southwestern Water Conservation District and Rio Grande Water Conservation District, filed a combined amici curiae brief.

Before MURPHY, ANDERSON and O'BRIEN, Circuit Judges.


MURPHY, Circuit Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

After conducting an environmental review, the United States Forest Service issued a special-use permit authorizing the Water Supply and Storage Co. ("WSSC") to store water on certain National Forest lands underlying the Long Draw Reservoir west of Fort Collins, Colorado. The United States District Court for the District of Colorado determined the Forest Service's decision violated the Federal Land Policy...

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