NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL U N I TED STA TES C O U RT O F A PPEA LS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT

N o. 07- 4757 D E L A W A R E C O U N T Y S A F E D R IN K IN G W A T E R C O A L IT IO N , IN C .,

A ppel l ant v. J OHN HA NGE R* , T HE P E NNS YL VANI A DE P AR T M E NT OF

E NVI RO NM E NT AL P RO T E CT I ON; STEP HEN J OH NSO N, AD M I NI STRATO R U NI TED STATES E NVI RO NM E NT AL P RO T E CT I ON AGE NC Y; GAR Y D. CR E I GHT ON; BA RB AR A M . CR E I GHT ON *( A m ended Pur s uantt o the C l erk’ s O r derof D ece m ber10, 2008)

O n A p p ea l from the U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt f o r th e E a ste rn D istric t o f P e n n sy lv a n ia D . C . C i v. N o. 07- cv- 01782 D i s tr i ctJ udge: H on. G ene E. K . Pr att er

S u b m itted u n d er T h ir d C ir cu itL A R 3 4 . 1 (a)

on D ece m ber12, 2008 B efore: M cK E E , S M ITH and R O T H , C i rcui tJudg es

( O pi ni on fi l ed: D ece m ber29, 2009) Case: 07-4757 Document: 00314003298 Page: 1 Date Filed: 12/29/20082 O P I N I O N RO TH , C i r cui tJ udge: D el aw ar e C ount ySafe D r i nki ng W at erC oal i t i on ( C oal i t i on) appea l s fr om the D i s tr i ctC our t ’ s di s m i s s al of i t s cl ai m s foral l eged vi ol at i ons of the C l ean W at erA ct ( C WA ) , th e A d m i n i s tr a t i v e P r o c e d u r e A c t( A P A ) , a n d th e C i v i l R i g h t s A c t( § 1 9 8 3 ) . We revi ew R ule 12(b) di sm i ssal s de novo , acc ept i ng as true al l of the al l egat i ons i n the c o m p la in t. Mo rs e v . L o w e r Me rio n Sc h . D ist. , 1 3 2 F . 3 d 9 0 2 , 9 0 6 (3d C ir . 1 9 9 7 ); L ica ta v. U. S. P os talSer v. , 3 3 F . 3 d 2 5 9 , 2 6 0 ( 3 d Ci r . 1 9 9 4 ) . W e wi l l a f f i r m. B eca us e w e w r i t e pr i m ar i l yforthe part i es , w e onl ybr i efl yr eci t e the fa ct s . T he C r ei ght ons s oughta C l ean W at erA ct( C W A ) s ect i on 402 N at i onal Pol l ut antD i s char ge E l i m i nat i on Sy s t em (N PD E S) perm i tt o coverrunoff a s s oci at ed w i th pr opos ed cons truct i on on thei rpr operty . I n r es pons e, the C oal i t i on fi l ed s ui tal l egi ng thatthe Penns y l vani a D epart m entof Envi r onm ent al Pr ot ect i on ( PaD E P) and the Envi r onm ent al Pr ot ect i on A gency( E PA ) have f ai l ed t o enfor ce the C l ean W at erA ct ’ s eff l uentl i m i t at i on st and ards. T he C oali t i on seeks t o p reventthe P aD E P from i ssui ng the C rei gh t on s’ pe r mi t , t o s us pe nd Pe nn s y l va ni a ’ s e nt i r e N PD ES pe r mi tpr og r a m, a nd t o c ompe l the EPA t o i s s ue per form ance s t andar ds forthe cons truct i on i ndus try . T he A m ended Com pl ai nt a s s e rt s th a t th e C re ig h to n s ’ p e rm it a p p lic a tio n is “ p e n d in g .” Case: 07-4757 Document: 00314003298 Page: 2 Date Filed: 12/29/2008O n Sept ember28, 2007, aft ernot i fy i ng the D i s tr i ctC our t , the PaD E P i s s ued the 1 perm i tt o the C r ei ght ons . T hough t he D i s tr i ctC our thad di s m i s s ed w i thoutpr ej udi ce a nd h ad n o t y et en tered jud g m en t, the C o ali ti o n d id n o t seek to am en d , an d o n ap p ea l, w e a re s tuck w i th “the al l egat i ons on t he fa ce of the compl ai nt , ” se e L ica ta , 33 F. 3d 260. 3 O n J ul y27, 2007, the D i s tr i ctC our tdi s m i s s ed the cl ai m s agai ns tthe C r ei ght ons and the PaD E P Secr et ary . A s t o t he C r ei ght ons , the C our tr eas oned that , s i nce the A m ended Com pl ai ntdoes notal l ege thatthe PaD E P has i s s ued a pe r m i tt o the C r e i g h t o n s , th e C o a l i t i o n h a s n o tp r e s e n t e d a r i p e c a s e o rc o n tr o v e r s ya g a i n s tth e m . We a g re e . See O hi o For es tr y Ass ’ n, I

nc. v. Si er r a C l ub , 5 2 3 U .S . 7 2 6 , 7 3 2

– 3 3 (1 9 9 8 ) (c a se is notr i pe “unt i l an admi ni s tr at i ve dec i s i on has been f or m al i zed” ) . O n appea l , the C oal i t i on ci t es t o Sus quehanna Val l ey Al l i ance v . Thre e Mi l e I s land , 6 1 9 F . 2 d 2 3 1 (3d C ir . 1 9 8 0 ), as author i tyforthe pr opos i t i on thata perm i tneed nothave i s s ued fora cha l l enge t o be r i pe, buti n t hatcas e, the compl ai ntal l eged thatoper at or s thr eat ened c ons truct i on w i t hout a p e rm it. See i d. at236. N o s uch al l egat i on has been made her e. 1 A s t o t he PaD E P Secr et ary , the D i s tr i ctC our thel d thatno pr i vat e r i ghtof ac t i on ex ist s u n d er the C W A , the A P A , o r § 1 9 8 3 o n the f ac ts al lege d . W e a g ree . T h is C o u rt has hel d that“no fe der al r i ghtof ac t i on agai ns t[a s t at e age ncyori t s offi ci al s ] w as cr eat ed b yth e [ C W A ]” f

o r f a ilu re to e n f

o rc e a n e f

f lu e n t lim ita tio n s ta n d a rd . A lleg h e ny C o u n ty Sa n i ta r y Au th . v . EPA , 7 3 2 F .2 d 1 1 6 7 , 1 1 6 9

– 7 0 , 1 1 7 4

– 7 5 (3 d C ir. 1 9 8 4 ); see al so O ’L e a ry v . Mo

y e r’s L a n d

fil l , 523 F. Supp. 642, 648 ( E . D . Pa. 1981) ( “[T] he j ur i s di ct i onal gr antdoes noti n t erm s cr eat e r es pons i bi l i tyon the partof a r egul at oryagenc y. . . even Case: 07-4757 Document: 00314003298 Page: 3 Date Filed: 12/29/2008T he C oal i t i on ar gues thati thas s epar at e Fi fth and Four t eenth A m endmentt aki ngs 2 cl ai m s thatthe D i s tr i ctC our tfai l ed t o adj udi cat e. T he A m ended Com pl ai ntdoes not obvi ous l ypurpor tt o s t at e s uch a c l ai m ; i n anyevent , the Taki ngs C l aus e has neverbeen i nv ok ed to com pel the g ov ernm ent t o en force st atutoryenv i ronm ental st and ards. 4 w h e r e th e a g e n c y d e c i d e s a g a i n s te n f o r c e m e n t . ” ) . F u r th e r , th e P a D E P i s n o ta n “ a g e n c y” a s d e f in e d b yth e A P A . See 5 U . S. C . § 701( b) ( 1) ( defi ni ng “age ncy ” as an “a uthor i tyof the G overnm entof the U ni t ed St at es ”) . Fi nal l y , the C W A ’ s expr es s enfor cement p ro v is io n s b a r § 1 9 8 3 re lie f f o r C W A v io la tio n s . See Mi ddl es ex Count y Sewerage A uth. v. N a t’ l Sea C lam m ers A ss’n , 4 5 3 U . S . 1 , 2 0 (19 8 1 ). 2 O n Nove mber27 , 20 07 , the D i s tr i c tCour tdi s mi s s e d the c l a i ms a ga i ns tthe EPA A d m in istra to r. T h e C o a lit io n h a s s in c e a b a n d o n e d its A P A a n d § 1 9 8 3 c laim s. W ith r es pectt o t he C W A cl ai m s , w e w i l l aff i r m the di s m i s s al . T he A m ended Com pl ai nt al l eges thatthe EP A vi ol at ed the C W A i n fi ve w ay s : ( 1) byfai l i ng t o i ni t i at e an en fo rce m en t acti o n ag ains t th e P aD E P , (2) b yfa il ing to u se it s C W A sec ti o n 4 0 4 p o w ers t o s us pend orvet o t he C r ei ght ons ’ N PD E S per m i tappl i cat i on, ( 3) byfai l i ng t o w i thdr aw Penns y l vani a’ s N PD E S pr ogr am, ( 4) byfai l i ng t o di s appr ove of Penns y l vani a’ s l i s t i ng of i m pai r ed w at er s , and ( 5) byfai l i ng t o i s s ue per form ance s t andar ds forthe cons truct i on i ndus try . T he C oal i t i on di d notpr ovi de the r equi r ed s t atut orynot i ce w i th r es pectt o the four th and fi fth cl ai m s , how ever , as i t s ear l i erl ett ert o the EP A m akes no m ent i on of Penns y l vani a’ s i m pai r ed w at er s l i s t i ng orotherdeci s i ons conce rni ng the cons truct i on in d u s tr y . T h e s e tw o c la im s m u s t th e re f o re b e d is m is s e d f

o r l a c k o f

n o tic e . See Pub. Case: 07-4757 Document: 00314003298 Page: 4 Date Filed: 12/29/2008W ith o u t d e a lin g w ith th e lac k o f n o tice p ro b lem , the C o a lit io n c o n ten d s th a t N R D Cv. 3 EPA , 5 4 2 F .3 d 1 2 3 5 (9 th C ir. 2 0 0 8 ), m a n d a tes th a t w e g ra n t su m m a ryju d g m e n t in its favorand or derthe EP A t o i s s ue ef fl uentl i m i t at i on gui del i nes and new s our ce per form ance s t andar ds forthe cons truct i on i ndus try . A s s t at ed above , thatcl ai m i s not p ro p e rlyb e f

o re th is c o u rt. 5 I nt er es tR es ear ch G r oup of N . J. , I nc. v. Her cul es , 5 0 F . 3 d 1 2 3 9 , 1 2 4 8

– 4 9 (3d C ir . 1 9 9 5 ). 3 N one of the thr ee r emai ni ng C W A cl ai m s i nvol ve a non- di s cr et i onaryduty , and, th u s , th e ya re n o t s u b

je c t to s u it u n d e r t h e C W A ’s c itiz e n -s u it p ro v is io n . See 3 3 U .S .C . § 1365( a) ( 2) ( ci t i zen- pl ai nt i ff musti dent i fy“a f ai l ur e of the A dm i ni s tr at ort o per form any actordutyunderthi s chapt erw hi ch i s notdi s cr et i onary ”) . Fi r s t , the Supr eme C our thas h e ld th a t en f

o rc e m e n t d e c isio n s a re p re su m p tiv e ly“ c o m m itt e d to a n a g e n c y ’s a b so lu te di s cr et i on. ” Heckl erv. C haney , 4 7 0 U .S . 8 2 1 , 8 3 1 (1 9 8 5 ); s ee al s o D is t . of

C ol um bi a v. Sc h r a mm , 6 3 1 F .2 d 8 5 4 , 8 6 0 (D .C . C ir. 1 9 8 0 ) (E P A ’s d e c isio n n o t to re v iew o r v e to s t at e’ s act i on on N PD E S per m i tappl i cat i on w as di s cr et i onary ) . Second, C W A s ect i on 404 i s i nappl i cabl e t o t he s ect i on 402 perm i tappl i cat i on m ent i oned i n the A m ended C o m p la in t. See 3 3 U. S . C. § 1 3 4 4 ( a )

– ( d ) . F i n a l l y , mo s tc o u r t s h a v e h e l d th a tth e CW A d o e s n o t cr e a te a n o n -d isc re tio n a ryd u tyf o r th e E P A to w ith d ra w n o n -c o m p ly in g sta te N P D E S p ro g ra m s , a n d c o n tr a ry d e c is io n s h a v e b e e n w id e ly cr itic iz e d . See, e. g. , A m igos Br a v o s v . EPA , 32 4 F . 3d 11 66 , 11 71 (10t h C i r. 20 03 ) ( ho l ding t hat C W A do es not i m po se m an d atoryd u tyo n the A d m inistrator an d ex p resslyrejecti n g ca selaw to the co n tr ary ); S i e r r a Cl u b v . EPA , 377 F. Supp. 2d 1205, 1209 ( N . D . Fl a. 2005) ( “[T] he bett err eas oned d i s tr i c tc o u r td e c i s i o n s . . . h a v e h e l d th a t[ th e CWA] d o e s n o ti mp o s e o n E P A a Case: 07-4757 Document: 00314003298 Page: 5 Date Filed: 12/29/20086

m an d atoryd u tyto w ith d raw a state’s N P D E S au tho ri ty . ”). A c c o rd in g ly , w e w ill a f f irm th e ju d g m e n t o f

th e D istric t C o u rt. Case: 07-4757 Document: 00314003298 Page: 6 Date Filed: 12/29/2008