SIERRA CLUB v. UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY; LEE ZELDIN, Administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency - Articles

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SIERRA CLUB v. UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY; LEE ZELDIN, Administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Dec 5, 2025

Court: 6th Circuit Court (Published Opinions)

Attorneys 1: ARGUED: Nicholas Leonard, GREAT LAKES ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CENTER, Detroit, Michigan, Elena Saxonhouse, SIERRA CLUB, Oakland, California, for Petitioner.

Attorneys 2: Gange, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, Washington, D.C., for Respondents.

Attorneys 3: ON BRIEF: Nicholas Leonard, GREAT LAKES ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CENTER, Detroit, Michigan, Elena Saxonhouse, Sanjay Narayan, SIERRA CLUB, Oakland, California, for Petitioner.

Attorneys 4: Heather E. Gange, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, Washington, D.C., for Respondents.

Attorneys 5: John Minode’e Petoskey, EARTHJUSTICE, Chicago, Illinois, Nicholas J. Schroeck, DETROIT MERCY LAW ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CLINIC, Detroit, Michigan, David M. Flannery, Keeleigh S. Huffman, STEPTOE & JOHNSON PLLC, Charleston, West Virginia, Dallas F. Kratzer III, STEPTOE & JOHNSON PLLC, Columbus, Ohio, Gaëtan Gerville-Réache, Joshua J. Reuter, WARNER NORCROSS + JUDD LLP, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Elbert Lin, HUNTON ANDREWS KURTH LLP, Richmond, Virginia, for Amici. Curiae.

Judge(s): COLE, WHITE, and DAVIS, Circuit Judges

Court Appealed: On Petition for Review from the Environmental Protection Agency

HELENE N. WHITE, Circuit Judge. Petitioner Sierra Club challenges two decisions of Respondent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the Detroit area’s attainment of ambient air quality standards under the Clean Air Act (CAA): (1) the approval of Michigan’s exceptional-events request, and (2) the redesignation of the Detroit area to attainment, based in part on the EPA’s interpretation of the CAA, which allows an area to be redesignated to attainment without meeting reasonably available control technology (RACT) requirements that came due after the state filed an application for redesignation. We affirm the approval of Michigan’s exceptional-events request and vacate the redesignation of the Detroit area to attainment.

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