Appalachian Power Co. v. Environmental Protection Agency

U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Appalachian Power Co. v. Environmental Protection Agency, 355 U.S. App. D.C. 152 (D.C. Cir. 2003)
320 F.3d 280

Appalachian Power Co. v. Environmental Protection Agency

Opinion of the Court

PER CURIAM.

ORDER

Upon consideration of the motion for attorneys’ fees, the response thereto, and the reply, it is

ORDERED that the motion be denied. A remand occasioned by an agency’s failure to respond to comments is a purely procedural victory for the petitioner and is therefore insufficient to support an award of attorneys’ fees under 42 U.S.C. § 7607(f). See Sierra Club v. EPA, 769 F.2d 796, 806 (D.C.Cir. 1985). In the most similar case in which this court did award attorneys’ fees, Michigan v. EPA, 254 F.3d 1087, 1091 (D.C.Cir. 2001) (vacating EPA rule for want of notice and comment before promulgation), the Agency had to reopen the record or receive new comments on remand, thus creating a greater probability that it would alter the rule.

Reference

Full Case Name
APPALACHIAN POWER COMPANY v. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Environmental Protection, Intervenors
Status
Published