Opinion ID: 565106
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: April 13, 1990 Decision

Text: 19 The Commission asserts that this court lacks jurisdiction to review its March 12th decision because it was not the Commission's final decision. The Commission takes the position that the April 13th decision denying the petition to reopen was the Commission's final decision and is the only decision reviewable by this Court. The Commission relies on I.C.C. v. Brotherhood of Locomotive Eng'rs, 482 U.S. 270, 107 S.Ct. 2360, 96 L.Ed.2d 222 (1987), to support this contention. 20 The rule announced in BLE, however, leads to exactly the opposite result in the circumstances of this case: we have jurisdiction to review the March 12th decision but not the April 13th decision. See also Friends of Sierra R.R., Inc. v. I.C.C., 881 F.2d 663, 666 (9th Cir.1989), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 110 S.Ct. 1166, 107 L.Ed.2d 1069 (1990). The court of appeals in BLE was asked to review the Commission's denial of a petition to reopen where that petition alleged material error. The Supreme Court concluded that where a party petitions an agency for reconsideration on the ground of 'material error,' i.e., on the same record that was before the agency when it rendered its original decision, 'an order which merely denies rehearing of ... [the prior] order is not itself reviewable.'  Id. 482 U.S. at 280, 107 S.Ct. at 2366 (citations omitted). 6 The Court explained that the appeal from the denial places before the reviewing court the same substance that would be before it on an appeal from the original proceeding. Id. Moreover, the Court noted that it is irrelevant that the order refusing reconsideration discussed the merits, id., as did the April 13th order in this case. Accordingly, we dismiss the petition for review of the April 13th decision. 21 NO. 90-70178 AFFIRMED. 22 NO. 90-70281 DISMISSED.