Opinion ID: 576710
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Critical Habitat Claim

Text: 101 The district court granted summary judgment to the defendants on Sierra Club's claim that the Fish and Wildlife Service violated section 4 of the Endangered Species Act by failing to designate critical habitat in a timely manner. Section 4 requires that critical habitat be designated generally within one year, but in no event longer than two years, after the publication of a notice proposing to list a species as endangered. See 16 U.S.C. § 1533(b)(6)(A)(ii), (b)(6)(C). The Fish and Wildlife Service published a notice proposing to list the red squirrel as endangered on May 21, 1986. See 51 Fed.Reg. 18,630 (1986). By the time that this lawsuit was filed on July 26, 1989, the Fish and Wildlife Service had still not made a final designation of critical habitat. That designation was ultimately made on January 5, 1990. See 55 Fed.Reg. 425 (1990). 33 102 Sierra Club initially sought a judicial order for the Fish and Wildlife Service to declare critical habitat for the red squirrel. Because critical habitat has been declared, the requested relief is moot. Sierra Club now argues that if the critical habitat had been declared in a timely manner, the Fish and Wildlife Service could not legally have issued a Biological Opinion including Reasonable and Prudent Alternative Three. See 50 C.F.R. § 402.02 (prohibiting the issuance of a reasonable and prudent alternative authorizing the destruction or adverse modification of critical habitat). That argument is also moot. While it is essential that the Fish and Wildlife Service, like all other government agencies, comply with the law, no purpose would now be served by declaring the Biological Opinion invalid. Regardless of the legality of the Biological Opinion, Congress adopted it and enacted it into law. Whether Congress was acting under a misapprehension of fact or law is irrelevant once legislation has been enacted. See Moor v. County of Alameda, 411 U.S. 693, 709, 93 S.Ct. 1785, 1795, 36 L.Ed.2d 596 (1973). In any event, the relief Sierra Club now seeks is the reinitiation of consultation. We have already held that the first phase of construction is immune from reconsultation requirements. See supra Part III.B.1. Accordingly, we affirm the grant of summary judgment on Sierra Club's critical habitat claim. 103