construction lighting

Okinawa Dugong v. Mattis

Full Case Name
OKINAWA DUGONG (DUGONG DUGON), et al., Plaintiffs, v. James N MATTIS, et al., Defendants.
Description

The Department of Defense (DOD) approved the construction of a military base in Okinawa. Japanese groups brought action against DOD for not considering the impact on the Okinawa dugong, including night lighting. The Court held that DOD did not violate the National Historic Preservation Act by not consulting directly with Plaintiffs, or by relying on academic experts instead of cultural practitioners. The Court also found that DOD's determination that the construction would not negatively affect the dugong was not arbitrary or capricious. The Court dismissed the case.

Date
08-01-2018
Court
United States District Court for the Northern District of California
Jurisdiction
United States
Plaintiffs
Incident Location
Okinawa, Japan
Disputed Act

The US Department of Defense (DOD) approved the construction of a new military base in Okinawa. Japanese citizens and organizations brought action against the DOD for not considering the impact on the Okinawa dugong. Construction activities would require night lighting, which the Japanese environmental impact statement anticipated would not negatively affect the dugongs because the project would take preventive measures such as lighting cones.

Holding
The Court held that DOD did not violate the National Historic Preservation Act by not consulting directly with Plaintiffs about the impact on the dugong, or by relying on academic experts instead of cultural practitioners. The Court also found that DOD's determination that the construction would not negatively affect the dugong was not arbitrary or capricious.
Disposition

D. Frederick, P. Hagaman, and B. Taylor v. Allegheny Twp. ZHB v. CNX Gas Company, LLC. v. Allegheny Twp. v. J.H. Slike and A.E. Slike, Northmoreland Farms LP v. M. Golembeiwski

Full Case Name
Dolores FREDERICK, Patricia Hagaman, and Beverly Taylor, Appellants v. ALLEGHENY TOWNSHIP ZONING HEARING BOARD v. CNX Gas Company, LLC v. Allegheny Township v. John H. Slike and Anne E. Slike, Northmoreland Farms LP v. Michael Golembeiwski and Lisa Golembeiwski, John P. Brunner, II, Esq., Jeffrey and Sheila Brunner, Miller Niksic, Joanne Resh, Richard and Patricia Trumble, Michael and Jacalyn Schumaker
Description

Residential neighbors challenged ordinance which allowed oil and gas operations and permit issued for a gas well nearby pursuant to the ordinance. The Court held that landowners failed to establish that natural gas drilling was incompatible within the zoning district or that the ordinance violated Environmental Rights Amendment to Pennsylvania Constitution; Zoning board was not required to perform pre-enactment environmental studies.

Date
10-26-2018
Court
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
Jurisdiction
Pennsylvania
Plaintiffs
Defendants
Incident Location
Allegheny Township, PA
Disputed Act

Residential neighbors challenged zoning ordinance which allowed oil and gas operations and permit issued for a gas well nearby pursuant to the ordinance. Some of the objections of the neighbors were that the zoning ordinance did not adeuately protect the local water supply, limit noise, or reduce light pollution.

Holding
The Court held that landowners failed to establish that natural gas drilling was incompatible within the zoning district or that the ordinance violated Environmental Rights Amendment to Pennsylvania Constitution; Zoning board was not required to perform pre-enactment environmental studies.
Disposition

Diné Citizens Against Ruining Our Env't v. Jewell

Full Case Name
DINÉ CITIZENS AGAINST RUINING OUR ENVIRONMENT; San Juan Citizens Alliance; WildEarth Guardians; and Natural Resources Defense Council, Plaintiffs, v. Sally JEWELL, in her official capacity as Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior; United States Bureau of Land Management, an agency within the United States Department of the Interior; and Neil Kornze, in his official capacity as Director of the United States Bureau of Land Management, Defendants, and WPX Energy Production, LLC; Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc.; BP America Company; ConocoPhillips Company; Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Company LP; American Petroleum Institute; and Anschutz Exploration Corporation, Intervenor-Defendants.
Description

Environmental activists brought action against the federal government challenging Bureau of Land Management's approval of applications for drill permits in the San Juan Basin as in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Court held BLM's approval of applications did not violate NEPA nor NHPA, and dismissed the case.

Date
04-23-2018
Court
United States District Court for the District of New Mexico
Jurisdiction
United States
Incident Location
San Juan County, NM; McKinley County, NM
Disputed Act

Environmental activists brought action against federal government challenging the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approval of applications for permit to drill in the San Juan Basin, alleging that BLM violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by failing to analyze indirect effects of fracking on Chaco Park, a National Historic site, including light pollution from nighttime drilling activity.

Holding
The Court found that the Board of Land Management's approval of applications for drilling permits did not violate the National Environmental Policy Act and failure to consider effects of gas and oil wells in Chaco Park and satellites did not violate the National Historic Preservation Act.
Disposition

Tiongco v. Southwestern Energy Production Co.

Full Case Name
Stephanie TIONGCO, Plaintiff, v. SOUTHWESTERN ENERGY PRODUCTION COMPANY, Defendant
Description

Plaintiff filed a private nuisance suit against defendant company, alleging its drilling and gas exploration activities caused light pollution and noise which interfered with the use and enjoyment of her private property. The Court denied defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment with respect to plaintiffs intentional private nuisance claim because it found there were genuine issues of material fact as to whether its activities constituted a private nuisance.

Date
10-14-2016
Court
United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
Jurisdiction
United States
Plaintiffs
Defendants
Incident Location
Susquehanna County, PA
Disputed Act

Plaintiff filed a suit against defendant company, alleging its drilling and gas exploration activities constituted a private nuisance because it interfered with the use and enjoyment of her private property. Part of plaintiff's nuisance claim is about construction lights placed near her home, which she testified at trial ran twenty-four hours a day and prevented her from sleeping.

Holding
The Court denied defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment with respect to plaintiffs intentional private nuisance claim because it found there were genuine issues of material fact as to whether its activities constituted a private nuisance.
Disposition

Andrews v. Antero Res. Corp.

Full Case Name
Robert L. ANDREWS, et al., Plaintiffs Below, Petitioners v. ANTERO RESOURCES CORPORATION and Hall Drilling, LLC, Defendants Below, Respondents
Description

Plaintiffs brought suit against Defendant companies, which held leasehold rights to develop oil and gas underlying the plaintiffs' properities, as they alleged the shale development by defendants caused them to lose the "use and enjoyment" of their properties. The Court affirmed the lower court's summary judgment in favor of defendant companies because it agreed with the finding that "effects on the surface owners resulting from the horizontal drilling were within the implied rights to use the surface granted by virtue of the severance deeds, and did not impose a substantial burden on the surface owners."

Date
06-10-2019
Court
Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia
Jurisdiction
Virginia
Plaintiffs
Defendants
Incident Location
Harrison County, NY
Disputed Act

Defendant companies has leasehold rights to develop oil and gas underlying various properties in Harrison County, including surface properties that are owned or resided on by the plaintiffs. The plaintiffs brought suit because they alleged that the defendants' development of the shale had caused them to lose "the use and enjoyment" of their properties due to "excessive heavy equipment and truck traffic, diesel fumes and other emissions from the trucks, gas fumes and odors, vibrations, noise, lights, and dust."

Holding
The Court affirmed the lower court's summary judgment in favor of defendant companies. The Court agreed with the lower court's finding that "effects on the surface owners resulting from the horizontal drilling were within the implied rights to use the surface granted by virtue of the severance deeds, and did not impose a substantial burden on the surface owners."
Disposition

New York v. Shinnecock Indian Nation

Full Case Name
State of NEW YORK, New York State Racing and Wagering Board, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and Town of Southampton, Plaintiffs, v. The SHINNECOCK INDIAN NATION, Frederick C. Bess, Lance A. Gumbs, Randall King, and Karen Hunter, Defendants; Town of Southampton, Plaintiff, v. The Shinnecock Tribe a/k/a the Shinnecock Indian Nation, Frederick C. Bess, Lance A. Gumbs, and Randall King, Defendants
Description

The Court found that construction and use of the proposed casino would have "potential long-term adverse impacts" to "land use" resulting from "lighting, noise, traffic, litter, the presence of multi-story buildings, the absence of buffers, and other operational characterstics of a casino." The Court also found that "lights, noise and activity" would disturb the nearby wildlife, "further degrading the woodlands' value as a habitat." The Court concluded that the State of NY and other plaintiffs had demonstrated that they were entitled to a permanent injunction that prevented the development of a casino by the Shinnecock Tribe.

Date
02-07-2008
Court
United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
Jurisdiction
United States
Defendants
Incident Location
Suffolk County, NY
Disputed Act

The State of NY and other governmental plantiffs sought to permanently enjoin the Shinnecock Tribe from constructing a casino on a "non-reservation property" in the Town of Southamptom because they claim it would not be in compliance with New York anti-gaming and environmental laws, as well as concerns about the proposed casino development's health and enviromental effects on neighboring landowners and the Town.

Holding
The Court found that construction and use of the proposed casino would have "potential long-term adverse impacts" to "land use" resulting from "lighting, noise, traffic, litter, the presence of multi-story buildings, the absence of buffers, and other operational characterstics of a casino." The Court also found that "lights, noise and activity" would disturb the nearby wildlife, "further degrading the woodlands' value as a habitat." The Court concluded that the State of NY and other plaintiffs had demonstrated that they were entitled to a permanent injunction that prevented the development of a casino by the Shinnecock Tribe. The Court then ordered further proceedings to determine a judgment about the permanent injunction.
Disposition

EQT Production v. Boro of Jefferson Hills, Aplt.

Full Case Name
EQT PRODUCTION COMPANY and ET Blue Grass Clearing, LLC, Appellees v. BOROUGH OF JEFFERSON HILLS, Appellant
Description

The Court found the testimonial evidence of the residents from the other municipality about the effects of the company's construction site in their municipality to be "relevant and probative" to the municipality in this case denying the same company a conditional use permit for a construction site. Part of the residents' concerns from the other municipality was about bright lights and light pollution coming from the company's construction site.

Date
05-31-2019
Court
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Jurisdiction
Pennsylvania
Plaintiffs
Incident Location
Allegheny Township, PA
Disputed Act

Plaintiff company applied for a conditional use permit to construct a natural gas production complex within the Borough of Jefferson Hills (the Borough). In deciding against the permit, the Borough considered as evidence the testimony of residents of another municipality regarding the impacts to their health, quality of life, and property which they attributed to a similar facility constructed and operated by the same company in their municipality. Part of the residents' concerns from the other municipality was about bright lights and light pollution coming from the company's construction site.

Holding
The Court vacated the lower court's finding that the testimonial evidence of the residents from the other municipality about the effects of the company's construction site in their municipality was "speculative" and instead found that evidence to be "relevant and probative" to the municipality in this case denying the same company a conditional use permit for a construction site. The Court remanded the case to the lower court with instructions to reconsider its decision in light of the Court's opinion.
Disposition