Environmental groups won’t get the chance for the full Ninth Circuit to reconsider whether a California tree thinning project can proceed without further federal review, according to a split panel decision.
Mountain Communities for Fire Safety and two other groups filed their rehearing bid after the court affirmed that the Forest Service can proceed with its Cuddy Valley Forest Health and Fuels Reduction Project. The project fell under a categorical exclusion that allows the agency to conduct timber stand improvement without an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held in February. ...