Opinion ID: 458564
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Mitchell's Position

Text: 40 Mitchell raises four points on appeal--one concerning the district court's substantive decision that the Corps acted unreasonably and three concerning the scope of the relief ordered by the court. Mitchell's first claim is simple: the administrative record conclusively shows that the Corps adequately considered cumulative impacts and reasonably concluded that any such impacts from the Mitchell project will be insignificant. To support this conclusion, Mitchell points to specific portions of the administrative record that purportedly demonstrate consideration of cumulative impacts, including the Corps' findings that: (1) although .13 acres of saltwater wetlands will be destroyed by the Mitchell project, nine acres will be created and, (2) although 13.8 acres of freshwater wetlands will be destroyed, 1.2 acres will be preserved and will allow the area to continue to serve its most important biological functions. 41 Moreover, the district court's opinion, according to Mitchell, betrays a misunderstanding of the nature of the review mandated by Kreger and its progeny. In Mitchell's view, a district court applying the reasonableness test to a NEPA-threshold decision should simply satisfy itself that the agency has taken a hard look at the proposed action. The district court, in Mitchell's view, has gone much further than that and has, in reality, labeled the Corps' action unreasonable upon a simple finding that cumulative impacts will exist, without the requisite discussion of the potential significance of those impacts. 42 With respect to the scope of relief ordered by the district court, Mitchell makes three arguments. (1) Assuming, arguendo, that the EA's discussion of cumulative impacts is inadequate, the court should have simply remanded the case for reconsideration of those impacts, thus leaving to the Corps the decision whether, when properly evaluated, they mandate preparation of an EIS or whether they can again be considered in an EA. (2) Despite the district court's disclaimer to the contrary, the court has in effect ordered the Corps to prepare a regional EIS. The Corps did not, however, abuse its discretion in determining that the environmental review of Mitchell's permit application could properly be limited to Section 6, rather than all development on West Galveston Island. Because Mitchell's project will have independent utility, the district court erred in ordering the Corps to prepare a regional EIS. (3) At any rate, even if a regional EIS is required, the court erred in enjoining Mitchell from proceeding with its project pending completion of the EIS. The environmental ramifications of Section 6 have been adequately reviewed, and the project should be allowed to continue while the comprehensive EIS is being prepared.