Opinion ID: 385700
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: This Litigation and the Council's Regulations

Text: 12 In January 1979, Pacific Legal Foundation (Pacific), a nonprofit, tax-exempt public interest organization, filed a suit in the district court against the Council, its members and its general counsel, seeking declaratory and injunctive relief. The complaint alleged that since June 8, 1977 the Council had not complied with the Sunshine Act and the Council's implementing regulations because it had acted in proceedings that constituted meetings under the Act but had neither made the meetings public nor closed the meetings in accordance with the statutory requirements for such action. 13 In June 1979, the district court granted the defendants' motion for summary judgment and dismissed the suit. Based upon the sparse legislative history relevant to this issue, the court concluded that the formulation and presentation of advice to the President on environmental matters, which is the CEQ's primary responsibility, is (not) 'official agency business' subject to the requirements of the Act. 13 E.R.C. 1273, 1276 (D.D.C.1979). The appeal in No. 79-1846 is from that dismissal of the complaint. 14 The day before the district court dismissed Pacific's suit, the Council adopted the amended Sunshine regulations that Pacific challenges in 79-1689. 2 As noted, the Act defines meeting as the deliberations of agency members that determine or result in the joint conduct or disposition of official agency business. 5 U.S.C. § 552b(a)(2). The amended regulations define official agency business as official collegial Council business, 40 C.F.R. § 1517.2(b), which is in turn defined as any Council action which by statute, regulation, Executive Order, or internal Council procedures requires an affirmative vote of at least two Council members in order to be taken on behalf of the Council. 40 C.F.R. § 1517.2(c). 15 The regulations further provide that official agency business includes the adoption of regulations but does not include advice to the President (or) actions taken by the Chairman acting as Director of the Office of Environmental Quality under the Environmental Quality Improvement Act of 1970. Id. In addition, the regulations state that the term  '(m)eeting' shall not be construed to prevent Council members from considering Council business that is circulated to them individually in writing. 40 C.F.R. § 1517.2(b).