Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation v. United States Department of the Interior et al

Filing 76

MEMORANDUM DECISION. Signed by Judge B. Lynn Winmill. (caused to be mailed to non Registered Participants at the addresses listed on the Notice of Electronic Filing (NEF) by cjm)

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF IDAHO

SHOSHONE-BANNOCK TRIBES of the
FORT HALL RESERVATION,
Plaintiffs,

Case No. 4:10-CV-004-BLW
MEMORANDUM DECISION

v.
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE
INTERIOR; and UNITED STATES BUREAU
OF LAND MANAGEMENT,
Defendants.
And
J.R. SIMPLOT COMPANY
Defendant-Intervenors.

INTRODUCTION
The Court has before it cross-motions for summary judgment. The Court heard
oral argument on April 25, 2011, and took the motions under advisement. For the reasons
expressed below, the Court will grant the motion filed by the plaintiff Shoshone-Bannock
Tribes and deny the motions filed by the BLM and Simplot.
FACTUAL BACKGROUND
In the 1940s, Simplot and FMC corporation built phosphate processing facilities

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about two miles northwest of the City of Pocatello. The Simplot plant is known as the
Don plant. Both plants produced phosphogypsum, a solid waste by-product of the
manufacturing process. The phosphogypsum is primarily gypsum and phosphorus, and
includes contaminates such as arsenic, low-level radionuclides, selenium, zinc, cadmium,
vanadium, fluoride, sodium, potassium, chloride, nitrates, ammonia, and sulfate. AR 33536.
This phosphogypsum waste from the Simplot plant is pumped as a slurry into a
“gyp-stack,” a storage facility 240 feet tall that spreads out over 400 acres. Id. 336. By
2007, it contained 66 million tons of phosphogypsum waste. Id.
The Simplot gyp-stack is not lined, and the slurry of phosphogypsum has leached
over the years into the groundwater. AR 1391. The groundwater moves generally northnortheast under the gyp-stack, and discharges to springs and to the Portneuf River. Id.
The Portneuf River flows past the Simplot plant and onto the Fort Hall Indian Reservation
through an area known as “the Bottoms” where a majority of Shoshone-Bannock
traditional and ceremonial activities occur, including fishing and gathering of native
plants. See Exhibit A, Declaration of Prouty at p. 9.
In 1976, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare found elevated levels of
arsenic, lead, and cadmium in monitoring wells down-gradient from the two plants. AR
1390. In the summer of 1987, the EPA detected arsenic, cadmium, and selenium in
monitoring wells in the deep confined aquifer that runs under the area. AR 321. The EPA
also discovered heavy metals in the sediments of the gyp-stack. Id. In addition, elevated
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contaminate levels were found in soils both on-site and off-site. AR 1391. In all, 2,530
acres of land surrounding the plants were found to have “contamination levels of
concern.” Id.
The culmination of all these studies came in 1990 when the area of the two plants
was declared a Superfund Cleanup Site under the Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). AR 321. It is referred to as the
Eastern Michaud Flat Superfund Site (EMF Site). Id.
The dilemma for Simplot – then and now – is that the Don plant continues to
generate waste that needs to be stored somewhere. In 1996, Simplot was projecting that
its existing gyp-stack had a life expectancy of only another 8 to 10 years. AR 2521. A
new gyp-stack, to be economical, would have to be built close to the plant. AR 413. But
that meant building a new waste storage facility on or close by a Superfund Site that was
created by the storage of that very same waste.
In its search for a new gyp-stack location, Simplot focused on a parcel of canyon
land owned by the BLM just south of the plant. On April 29, 1994, Simplot submitted a
letter to the BLM proposing a land exchange to acquire that BLM canyon land in
exchange for land owned by Simplot in the Blackrock and Caddy Canyon areas
approximately nine (9) miles southeast of Pocatello. AR 2417.
The land that Simplot sought to obtain from the BLM – referred to as the “selected
land” – had a steep and mountainous terrain, and wrapped around the east and south sides
of Simplot’s existing property. AR 319. About 140 acres of the selected land lies within
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the boundaries of the EMF Site, and the remainder adjoins it. AR 322. All of the selected
land lies within the Fort Hall Reservation “ceded area.” AR 324. The Tribes retain all
rights on those ceded lands remaining in public ownership for wood gathering, livestock
grazing, hunting, and harvesting. AR 2521. These rights, along with the duties imposed
by the Pocatello Resource Management Plan and the trust obligation the Government
owes to the Tribes, obligate the BLM to ensure that any land exchange is “closely
coordinated with the Tribes.” AR 317.
To obtain this BLM land, Simplot offered land it purchased specifically for the
exchange, land that is important mule deer winter range. This land – referred to as the
Blackrock property – “supports considerably more deer in the winter than the [selected
land].” AR 325. The BLM considers the Blackrock land to have “superior resources” for
both wildlife and recreation, and it contains prehistoric sites and artifacts. AR 321. If the
land exchange was completed, the BLM would manage the Blackrock land, holding it in
trust for the Tribes. AR 332. The Tribes would have rights for wood gathering, livestock
grazing, hunting, and harvesting on those lands. Id.
Simplot stated its intention to use the BLM land to expand the gyp-stack. In a
letter to the BLM, under a paragraph labeled “Intended Use,” Simplot wrote:
Simplot seeks to acquire this BLM land as a permanent storage area for the
gypsum produced as a by-product in its phosphate fertilizer manufacturing
process. Simplot utilizes the land it owns immediately adjacent to the north
boundary of this BLM land for gypsum storage.
AR 2418.

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On January 3, 1995, Simplot amended this proposal to ask for additional public
lands held by the BLM in exchange for additional private lands held by Simplot.
Simplot’s “Intended Use” was the following:
The parcel included in this amendment would be considered supplemental and
would be used for the same purposes as those lands described in the original
land exchange proposal.
AR 2411.
In July of 1995, the EPA prepared an Ecological Risk Assessment for the EMF
Site. AR 322. It found that contaminates were being released from the EMF Site through
the air, groundwater, and wastewater. Id. The Assessment found elevated levels of
metals, radionuclides, fluoride and phosphorous in the soils and vegetation both within
and outside the EMF boundaries. Id. The EPA concluded that the levels of
contamination did not warrant a soil cleanup but did call for “institutional controls;” and
that for the off-site areas, any risk to human health could be minimized by preventing
residential development. Id.
In August of 1996, the land exchange process moved forward and a draft EA and
FONSI was prepared by the BLM. AR 316, 408. In the draft FONSI, the BLM proposed
going forward with the land exchange. The draft of the EA accompanying the FONSI
stated that Simplot was proposing this land exchange “to obtain land suitable for gypsum
waste disposal” because the company was concerned that its existing gyp-stack might be
shut down by the EPA. AR 413. Simplot feared that failing to find a new site “could
possibly mean the demise of Simplot’s Don plant, increased operation and production
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costs, and loss of jobs.” Id. According to Simplot’s studies, the site “should be located as
close as possible to their existing fertilizer processing plant” in order to be “economically
feasible.” Id.
The draft EA went on to discuss the possible location and layout of the new gypstack in broad terms as no final plans had been developed:
Simplot’s primary interest is the large canyon within Section 19 [due south of
Simplot’s existing property line] of the selected land. The canyon area would
be developed for the disposal and storage of gypsum waste following
applicable state and federal regulations. Specific information about how the
gypsum would be stored in the canyon is not available. Design plans and best
engineering practices would be developed by Simplot prior to initiating a new
stack within the canyon. These plans and engineering practices would be
reviewed and approved by state and federal agencies having jurisdiction and
authority. In general an access road would be built into the canyon along with
a slurry line. The slurry line would transport gypsum waste from the Don
plant to the stack within the canyon. The stack would start at the mouth of the
canyon’s north end and progress up the canyon (moving in a southerly
direction) over its years of operation. The parcel of selected land within
Section 17 [due east of Simplot’s existing property line] would provide a
buffer to the canyon within Section 19 and the Don plant.
AR 419.
The EPA reviewed these draft documents, and responded in a letter dated
September 10, 1996, that it “is in support of the proposed land exchange.” AR 619. The
EPA explained that “Simplot’s ownership and control of these properties will facilitate
the implementation of any institutional controls identified in the EPA [ROD].
Furthermore, we encourage any expansion of the proposal to include additional areas
adjacent to the current Simplot property boundary.” Id.
About a month after this draft EA was prepared, the land exchange was put on
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hold, awaiting a pending EPA Record of Decision (ROD) concerning the EIS evaluating
the EMF Site. AR 316, 2401, 2409. The EPA issued the ROD in 1998. To protect
groundwater, the EPA, in the ROD, selected a remedy that was designed primarily to
capture arsenic that was leaching from the EMF Site. See Exhibit A to Prouty
Declaration at p. 13. Groundwater monitoring revealed arsenic levels in the groundwater
exceeding safe levels set by the Safe Drinking Water Act. Id. at p. 10. Arsenic
accumulates in the body, typically through drinking water, and increases the risk for
various types of cancers and other health problems.
All parties believed that by capturing arsenic, the ROD remedy would also capture
phosphorus, another contaminate leaching from the EMF Site. Id. at p. 11. Phosphorus
has a “detrimental effect on water quality” and “on fish and other aquatic life.” Id. at p.
15.
In the years following 1998, however, phosphorus was found in the Portneuf River
“to a degree that the EPA had not appreciated when it issued the ROD.” Id. at p. 12.
Phosphorus concentrations in the Portneuf River, downstream from where the
groundwater passing under the EMF Site enters the River, were over ten times higher
than the Idaho Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) target level for the River. Id. at p.
15. A report issued in 2004 by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ)
determined it was possible that up to 80% of the phosphorus in the Portneuf River was
coming from the EMF Site. AR 336. It became clear that the ROD remedy was not
working to keep phosphorus from entering the Portneuf River, prompting the EPA and
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Simplot to engage in a series of talks to amend the ROD. Id.
In 2002, Simplot renewed land exchange talks with the BLM, and amended their
offer to include an additional 90 acres of private land for total of 666.92 acres. AR 316.
Simplot also identified additional public lands they were interested in acquiring, bringing
the total public land acres to approximately 718.56 acres. Id.
On February 23, 2004, Simplot submitted a second amendment to the land
exchange that for the first time proposed that the “intended use” of the parcel of BLM
directly south of the Simplot property would be used as an “additional buffer zone”rather
than as a gyp-stack location:
The parcel included in this amendment would be considered supplemental and
would be used for an additional buffer zone as described in the original land
exchange proposal.
AR 2402.
In October of 2006, the BLM prepared a draft EA evaluating the land exchange
and submitted it for comment. The Tribe, which had been in numerous negotiations with
the BLM over this issue, objected to the EA, arguing that an EIS should be prepared, and
that further mitigation measures must be required. AR 2324-29.
The EPA also commented on the draft EA in a letter to the BLM dated February
12, 2007. AR 604. Noting the current contamination of the area’s groundwater and the
Portneuf River, the EPA expressed concern over “the potential significant cumulative
impacts that could result from an additional gypsum stack (gyp-stack) added to the
existing contamination from the current gyp-stack in the project area.” Id. The EPA
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suggested that the patent transferring title of the BLM lands to Simplot contain a
requirement that the
EPA will review and approve the liner design and monitoring plan proposed
by Simplot when available once it is developed because of EPA’s expertise in
the design and engineering for environmentally protective waste management
systems and to ensure that the design and siting criteria are met.
Id.
To further review the EPA’s concerns, BLM officials met with EPA officials on
August 15, 2007. At that meeting, the EPA expressed concern that “it would be difficult
and expensive to prepare and install an appropriate liner in the canyon area that is part of
the land exchange proposal.” AR 597. EPA officials indicated that Simplot told them
that an expert in liner application – a Dr. Weisa – had toured the canyon site recently and
“believes that by reworking of the canyon walls, Simplot could install an HDPE liner.”
Id. EPA officials expressed their concern to the BLM “about the cost of reworking the
canyon to an amenable configuration for liner installation” and the “difficult logistics of
canyon construction,” all of which might lead Simplot to “do something [that] will end up
inadequate.” Id.
About four months later, in December of 2007, the BLM issued its final EA and
Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). The BLM determined that because it was
reasonably foreseeable that Simplot would build a gyp-stack on the selected land, the EA
contained a discussion of the expected impacts of a future gyp-stack. AR 335-341. The
BLM did not, however, have any gyp-stack plan from Simplot and so had nothing

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specific to evaluate. The EA notes that “[t]he direct impacts the construction of the
gypsum stack might cause are not possible to determine at this time as there are no design
or development plans for the expansion of operations associated with the selected lands.”
AR 331. At another point, the EA notes that “it is impossible at this time to assess
specific future environmental effects of any potential development,” and therefore
explains future effects only “in general terms.” AR 334.
In that general discussion, the EA noted that “[i]t is possible that placement of a
new gyp-stack . . . could result in additional impacts to those already existent at the EMF
site if the design, construction, operation, final reclamation, and closure of the stack are
not carefully assessed and implemented.” AR 337. The EA noted that phosphogypsum
waste had been exempted from two of the laws that otherwise would have regulated its
disposal, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Idaho Solid
Waste Management Rule. Id. But the EA pointed out that the waste was regulated under
other laws, including the CERCLA laws governing the EMF Site, the Clean Water Act,
and the Clean Air Act. Id.
To predict how a future waste site might be regulated, the EA examined the
Agrium gyp-stack, recently constructed about 60 miles east of the Simplot plant. The EA
depicts the Agrium example as a success story, noting that Agrium’s plan to protect the
environment – including the use of a triple-layer liner – was reviewed and approved by
the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ). AR 338. Pointing to the
successful use of liners for gyp-stacks in Florida, the EA observed that “[l]iner
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technology for gyp-stacks is fairly mature and has proven to work well.” AR 339. The
EA cited a Simplot letter in which Simplot committed to installing a liner if it decided to
use the BLM land for a new gyp-stack. The EPA concluded that “it is almost certain that
a liner would be proposed and required.” Id.
The EA noted “challenges” in designing and installing a liner at that site given the
steep “topography that leads into a canyon in the foothills above [Simplot’s] existing gypstack.” Id. In this discussion, the EA says nothing about the EPA having raised concerns
– recounted above – that placing a liner in the steep canyon terrain may not only be
expensive but also difficult logistically. AR 597. Instead, without citing any specific
supporting authority, the BLM simply concludes that “standard industry practices
employed in gyp-stack mining tailings pond and landfill design and operation appear to
indicate that this could be practically accomplished but likely at somewhat higher cost
than gyp-stack on flat ground.” Id.
The EA also considered the stability of a large gyp-stack. The EA points to a 2002
study of the existing gyp-stack concluding that it was “likely not to be susceptible to
liquefaction (failure and slide) under the maximum seismic loading conditions expected
for the Pocatello region.” Id. A new gyp-stack on the BLM lands was “expected to be
comparable since the stack would be constructed in a similar fashion with similar
materials. Failure of a new gyp-stack would not be expected to occur if proper
engineering design including internal water drainage provisions is conducted.” Id. After
talking with agency officials in Wyoming and Florida who regulated gyp-stacks, the
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BLM was convinced that liners would prevent all but a “very small” amount of toxins to
enter the groundwater.
In addressing the cumulative impact of these concerns, the EA stated that “[t]he
greater surface area of a new stack, combined with the existing gyp-stacks would tend to
combine to increase these impacts [to surface water and air quality] in an additive
fashion.” Id. at 341. Nevertheless, the EA concludes that “the cumulative effect is
anticipated to be essentially no greater than the existing conditions.” Id.
In the FONSI, the BLM decided to proceed with the land exchange. In making
that decision, the BLM stated that Simplot “has indicated . . . that they anticipate the need
to construct a new phosphate disposal facility (gypsum stack) and would build it on the
Federal lands at some point after the exchange is completed.” AR 308. With regard to
the selected lands, the BLM found that any future gyp-stack would be regulated by,
among others, the EPA and the IDEQ. AR 308.
That prediction was accurate. In 2010, the EPA issued an amended ROD, and
Simplot agreed to implement various aspects of that amended ROD. Part of that
agreement states as follows:
New gypsum stack. If Simplot plans to construct a new gypsum stack that has
the potential to impact the CERCLA remedy, Simplot shall notify EPA at least
180 days prior to beginning such construction. With that notification, Simplot
shall provide to EPA the new gypsum stack design, including liner design, a
siting evaluation report, a background water quality investigation, a
groundwater monitoring program, a corrective action plan in the event of liner
failure, and proposed construction schedule.
See Statement of Work (Appendix E to Exhibit A to Prouty Declaration) at p. 7.
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In addition, the IDEQ entered into an agreement with Simplot on April 11, 2008,
regarding the building of any new gyp-stack at the plant:
Any new gypsum storage/stack built at the Don Plant, including any gypsum
stack built on any new land to be acquired for this purpose, shall include a
liner in its design, a siting evaluation report, a background water quality
investigation, a groundwater monitoring program, and a corrective action plan
in the event of liner failure. The design and supporting documentation,
operation, and maintenance procedures, final reclamation plans, and closure
plans for any new gypsum stack shall be approved by the Department prior to
the start of construction.
AR 529.
The Tribes protested the FONSI to the Pocatello Field Office of the BLM. On
December 21, 2007, the Tribes’ protest was denied. The Tribes appealed that decision,
but on June 5, 2009, the Interior Board of Land Appeals affirmed the decision of the
Pocatello Field Office.
The Tribes responded by filing this lawsuit against the BLM, alleging, among
other things, that the BLM was obligated to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) under NEPA. On March 16, 2010, Simplot was granted leave to intervene. All
parties then filed motions for summary judgment that are now at issue before the Court.
STANDARD OF REVIEW
The Court’s review of the Tribes’s NEPA claim is governed by the Administrative
Procedures Act (APA). See Klamath Siskiyou Wildlands Center v. Boody, 468 F.3d 549
(9th Cir. 2006). Under the APA, the Court may set aside agency action only if it is
“arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law.” 5

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U.S.C. § 706(2)(A).
Review under the arbitrary and capricious standard is narrow and the Court cannot
substitute its judgment for that of the agency. Lands Council v. McNair, 629 F.3d 1070
(9th Cir. 2010). A decision is arbitrary and capricious only if the agency relied on factors
Congress did not intend it to consider, entirely failed to consider an important aspect of
the problem, or offered an explanation that runs counter to the evidence before the agency
or is so implausible that it could not be ascribed to a difference in view or the product of
agency expertise. Id. Agency action is valid if the agency “considered the relevant
factors and articulated a rational connection between the facts found and the choices
made.” Id.
Moreover, the Court must be “at its most deferential” when reviewing scientific
judgments and technical analyses within the agency's expertise. Id. The Court cannot act
as a scientific expert “instructing the agency, choosing among scientific studies, and
ordering the agency to explain every possible scientific uncertainty.” Id. When
specialists express conflicting views, an agency must have discretion to rely on the
reasonable opinions of its own qualified experts even if the Court might disagree. Id.
ANALYSIS
NEPA requires that an environmental impact statement (EIS) must be prepared for
every “major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.”
42 U.S.C. § 4332(2)(C). However, if, as here, an agency’s regulations do not
categorically require the preparation of an EIS, then the agency must first prepare an
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Environmental Assessment (EA) to determine whether the action will have a significant
effect on the environment. See 40 C.F.R. § 1501.4. If the EA establishes that the
agency’s action may have a significant effect upon the environment, an EIS must be
prepared. Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project v. Blackwood, 161 F.3d 1208, 1211 (9th
Cir.1998). If not, the agency must issue a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), see
40 C.F.R. §§ 1501.4, 1508.9, accompanied by “a convincing statement of reasons to
explain why a project’s impacts are insignificant.” Blue Mountains, 161 F.3d at 1212.
NEPA regulations guide the inquiry into whether the land exchange at issue here
may have a significant impact. Those regulations, promulgated by the Council on
Environmental Quality (“CEQ”), require consideration of two broad factors: “context and
intensity.” See 40 C.F.R. § 1508.27; 42 U.S.C. § 4332(2)(C). Context refers to the
setting in which the proposed action takes place. Id. at § 1508.27(a). Intensity means
“the severity of the impact,” and involves examining the proposal’s public health risks, its
relationship to other actions, its effect on ecologically critical areas, and the degree to
which its effects are highly uncertain or involve unique or unknown risks, among other
factors. Id. at § 1508.27(b). The Circuit has held that any one of these factors may be
sufficient to require preparation of an EIS in appropriate circumstances. Ocean
Advocates v. U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, 402 F.3d 846 (9th Cir. 2005).
The Court will turn to examine the EA’s evaluation of the intensity of the impact,
and specifically its analysis of the cumulative impact factor.
Cumulative Impact
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An important factor in determining intensity is “whether the action is related to
other actions with individually insignificant but cumulatively significant impacts.
Significance exists if it is reasonable to anticipate a cumulatively significant impact on
the environment.” See 40 C.F.R. § 1508.27(b)(7). A cumulative impact is an “impact on
the environment which results from the incremental impact of the action when added to
other . . . reasonably foreseeable future actions . . . .” 40 C.F.R. § 1508.7.
This factor evaluates the impact of the land exchange itself together with the
impact of “reasonably foreseeable future actions.” In determining whether the building of
a gyp-stack on the selected lands was a “reasonably foreseeable future action,” the BLM
had a substantial past record to draw upon. For years, Simplot told the BLM that it
wanted to place a gyp-stack on the selected land. Simplot even detailed the location – the
canyon in the craggy terrain of section 19 – and discussed plans to begin the waste
storage at the mouth of the canyon’s north end and progress up the canyon (moving in a
southerly direction) over its years of operation. Confirming Simplot’s continued desire to
use this land for a gyp-stack is information, conveyed by the EPA to the BLM, that
Simplot had hired a liner consultant who concluded that the canyon walls could be
“reworked” to allow a liner to operate effectively there.
These circumstances demonstrate that it was “reasonably foreseeable” that Simplot
would build a new gyp-stack on the selected lands, and the FONSI so recognized. AR
308 (“Simplot has indicated to the BLM that they anticipate the need to construct a new
phosphate disposal facility (gypsum stack) and would build it on the Federal lands at
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some point after the exchange is completed”).1 Thus, the BLM’s EA was required to
evaluate the environmental impacts of a new gyp-stack on the selected lands.
An EA’s analysis of cumulative impacts “must give a sufficiently detailed
catalogue of past, present, and future projects, and provide adequate analysis about how
these projects, and differences between the projects, are thought to have impacted the
environment.” Te-moak Tribe of Western Shoshone of Nevada v. U.S., 608 F.3d 592, 602
(9th Cir. 2010). “General statements about ‘possible effects’ and ‘some risk’ do not
constitute a ‘hard look’ absent a justification regarding why more definitive information
could not be provided.” Id. “[S]ome quantified or detailed information is required.
Without such information, neither the courts nor the public ... can be assured that the
[agency] provided the hard look that it is required to provide.” Id. This cumulative
analysis “must be more than perfunctory; it must provide a useful analysis of the
cumulative impacts of past, present, and future projects.” Ocean Advocates v. U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, 402 F.3d 846, 868 (9th Cir. 2005).
Here, the EA’s analysis of the impact of a new gyp-stack was quite general in
nature. Indeed, the EA concedes that due to the lack of a Simplot plan, “the possible
effects of future development are explained in general terms in this section.” AR 334.
Without a plan to evaluate, the EA could not discuss – much less answer – basic

1

Determining whether an action is a “reasonably foreseeable future action” is “a task assigned to
the special competency of the appropriate agenc[y].” Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project v. Blackwood,
161 F.3d 1208, 1215 (9th Cir. 1998). Here, the BLM found the new gyp-stack’s placement on the
selected lands to be a “reasonably foreseeable future action.”

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questions about a gyp-stack’s impacts: (1) How much waste would be stored in the
canyon? (2) How would the canyon would be prepared for storage? (3) What type of liner
would be used? (4) How would the liner be installed in the canyon terrain? and (5) What
are the groundwater flows under the canyon that might add to the existing contamination?
Without answers to such basic questions, the conclusions that were drawn by the
EA on the cumulative impacts of the gyp-stack are so perfunctory as to be meaningless.
That is precisely the type of cumulative impact analysis that fails to meet the “hard look”
standard according to Te-moak Tribe and Ocean Advocates, discussed above.
The lack of a Simplot plan does not justify a general analysis. Here, it prevented
the level of detail in the cumulative impact analysis that would “assure [the Court] that
the [agency] provided the hard look that it is required to provide.” Te-moak Tribe, 608
F.3d at 602. In addition, it results in substantial uncertainties about the true
environmental impacts, creating a problem with another intensity factor known as the
uncertainty factor.
Uncertainty
A project may have significant environmental impacts where its effects are
“highly uncertain or involve unique or unknown risks.” See 40 C.F.R. § 1508.27(b)(5).
Preparation of an EIS is mandated where uncertainty may be resolved by further
collection of data, or where the collection of such data may prevent speculation on
potential effects. Native Ecosystems Council v. U.S., 428 F.3d 1233, 1240 (9th Cir.
2005). The purpose of an EIS is to obviate the need for speculation by insuring that
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available data are gathered and analyzed prior to the implementation of the proposed
action. Id.
This case is filled with uncertainty. For example, about four months before the
FONSI issued, the EPA told the BLM about Simplot’s plan to use a liner in the craggy
terrain of the canyon, and expressed concern about both the expense and logistical
difficulty of such a plan. Yet, the EA and FONSI say nothing about the EPA expressing
those concerns. While the EA notes that there would be “challenges” in installing a liner
in that canyon terrain, it waves them off with a vague reference to “standard industry
practices,” without ever discussing those practices.
There are also substantial uncertainties about groundwater flows and potential
contamination. The EA revealed that although the groundwater under the EMF Site area
had been extensively studied, the selected lands were in a different hydrogeologic area
that had not been studied. AR 324. For that reason, the EA explained, “groundwater
studies have not been done.” Id. This uncertainty is especially troubling given the
existing contamination and the difficulties in remediation, all discussed above.
All of these circumstances demonstrate (1) that the environmental effects of
building a new gyp-stack on the selected lands were highly uncertain, and (2) that the
collection of more data on how the waste would be stored and its effect on groundwater
might resolve the uncertainty. This is sufficient to require the preparation of an EIS.
Native Ecosystems Council, 428 F.3d at 1240 (holding that preparation of an EIS is
mandated in the face of highly uncertain effects where uncertainty may be resolved by
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further collection of data, or where the collection of such data may prevent speculation on
potential effects); Anderson v. Evans, 314 F.3d 1006, 1021 (9th Cir. 2002) (holding that
substantial questions about one of the intensity factors was sufficient to require EIS).
Ecologically Critical Areas
In addition to uncertainty, another important factor in determining whether an EIS
is required is the “unique characteristics of the geographic area such as proximity to . . .
ecologically critical areas.” See 40 C.F.R. § 1508.27(b)(3). Here, the selected lands were
within, or adjoining, the EMF Site, an area contaminated by the very same waste to be
stored in the new gyp-stack. The EMF Site is clearly an “ecologically critical area.” The
proximity of any new gyp-stack to the EMF Site triggers application of § 1508.27(b)(3).
Controversy
Finally, the degree to which the effects on the “quality of the human environment
are likely to be highly controversial” is a factor in determining intensity. See 40 C.F.R.
§ 1508.27. The controversy must be over the environmental effects and is not created by
mere opposition or political protest. Metropolitan Edison Co. v. People Against Nuclear
Energy, 460 US 76 (1983). Here, the Portneuf River, that passes through the Bottoms
area where many of the Tribes’ traditional and ceremonial activities are centered, has
been contaminated by phosphorus leaching from the EMF Site. As discussed above,
there are substantial uncertainties about the environmental effects of adding more waste
storage to the area. The Tribes are not just raising a politically-based opposition but are
relying on (1) solid environmental data from the EMF Site contamination and (2)
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uncertainties surrounding any new gyp-stack. The Tribes have shown that this factor
weighs in favor of a finding of intensity.
Conclusion on Intensity
The intensity factors of cumulative impact, uncertainty, impact on ecologically
critical areas, and controversy all weigh in favor of preparing an EIS. Any one of these
factors could compel a finding that the impact is severe and that an EIS is required, and
the presence of multiple factors all pointing in the same direction mandates that result.
Native Ecosystems Council, 428 F.3d at 1240 (holding that preparation of an EIS is
mandated due to highly uncertain effects); Anderson, 314 F.3d at 1021 (holding that
substantial questions about one of the intensity factors was sufficient to require EIS).
Effect of EPA and IDEQ Agreements
Simplot and the BLM point out that since the EA and FONSI issued, the EPA and
the IDEQ have entered into agreements with Simplot to oversee any construction of a
gyp-stack. The Court recounted these agreements above. The BLM and Simplot argue
that these agreements ensure that all interests will be protected and that no EIS is
required.
The Court disagrees. These agreements are no substitute for an EIS. Neither
Simplot nor the BLM claim that the agreements will allow the Tribes the full rights of
participation and comment that they are entitled to in the EIS process under NEPA. The
purpose of NEPA is to ensure “that the agency will have and will consider detailed
information concerning significant environmental impacts, and . . . that the public can
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both contribute to that body of information and can access the information that is made
public.” San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace v. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 449
F.3d 1016, 1034 (9th Cir. 2006). This “ensures that federal agencies are informed of
environmental consequences before making decisions . . . .” Citizens for Better Forestry
v. United States, 341 F.3d 961, 970 (9th Cir. 2003) (emphasis added).
It is through the NEPA process that the Tribes, and other interested members of
the public, will not only be informed but also be heard. Those rights are especially
important given the BLM’s obligation, which it recognized in the EA, to ensure that any
land exchange is “closely coordinated with the Tribes.” AR 317.
Accordingly, the Court rejects the argument that the EPA and IDEQ agreements
relieve the BLM of the duty of preparing an EIS under NEPA.
Conclusion
The Tribes “need not show that significant effects will in fact occur,” but if they
raise “substantial questions whether a project may have a significant effect, an EIS must
be prepared.” California Wilderness Coalition v. U.S., 631 F.3d 1072, 1097 (9th Cir.
2011). This is a “low standard.” Id. The Tribes have met that standard, and hence are
entitled to a summary judgment that the EA violates NEPA and the BLM is required to
prepare an EIS. Because the Court decided the pending motions under NEPA, the Court
finds no need to resolve the other issues raised by the Tribes under FLPMA and the trust
obligations.
The Court will issue a separate Judgment as required by Rule of Civil Procedure
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58(a).

DATED: May 3, 2011

Honorable B. Lynn Winmill
Chief U. S. District Judge

Memorandum Decision - 23