The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) are the preeminent laws requiring environmental analysis of a project’s impacts before its approval.

Both require governmental agencies to carefully study, document, and share with the public the environmental impacts of a project before deciding to approve it.

The main purpose of both statutes is to foster informed decisionmaking and to limit unnecessary destruction of our remaining environmental resources.

Lawyers at the Law Offices of Stephan C. Volker have extensive experience in challenging Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) under CEQA and Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) under NEPA.

We believe that the laudable requirements of these acts must be strictly enforced and undertake cases to ensure that the agency has produced a full and accurate analysis of the project’s environmental impacts, and of alternatives and mitigation measures that could avoid or reduce them.

For more information on CEQA, please go here.

For more information on NEPA, please visit the National Environmental Policy Act homepage, here.

CEQA Cases That the Firm or Mr. Volker Has Handled Include:

  • Vineyard Area Citizens for Responsible Growth, Inc. v. City of Rancho Cordova, 40 Cal.4th 412 (2007).
  • Save Our Neighborhood v. Lishman, 140 Cal.App.4th 1288 (2006).
  • County of El Dorado and Voices for Rural Living v. California Department of Transportation, 133 Cal.App.4th 1376 (2005). (Depublished)
  • City of Morgan Hill v. Bay Area Air Quality Management Dist., 118 Cal.App.4th 861 (2004).
  • Santa Teresa Citizen Action Group v. City of San Jose, 114 Cal.App.4th 689 (2003).
  • Friends of the Eel River v. Sonoma County Water Agency, 108 Cal.App.4th 859 (2003).
  • County of Amador v. El Dorado County Water Agency, 76 Cal.App.4th 931 (1999).
  • Friends of Westwood v. City of Los Angeles, 191 Cal.App.3d 259 (1987). (Amicus Brief)
  • PLAN for Arcadia v. Arcadia City Council, 42 Cal.App.3d 712 (1974).

NEPA Cases That the Firm or Mr. Volker Has Handled Include:

  • Tri-Valley Cares v. Department of Energy, 203 Fed.Appx. 105 (9th Cir. 2006).
  • Pit River Tribe v. U.S. Forest Service, 469 F.3d 768 (9th Cir. 2006). (Amicus Brief)
  • City of Sausalito v. O’Neill, 386 F.3d 1186 (9th Cir. 2004).
  • Bob Marshall Alliance v. Lujan, 804 F.Supp.1292 (D.Mont.1992).
  • Bob Marshall Alliance v. Hodel, 852 F.2d 1223 (9th Cir. 1988).
  • Greenpeace v. Evans, 688 F.Supp. 579, 17 E.L.R. 21207 (W.D. Wash. 1987).
  • Bob Marshall Alliance v. Watt, 685 F.Supp. 1514 (D. Mont. 1986).