Opinion ID: 171698
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Judicial Review of Agency Adjudication

Text: Plaintiffs-Appellants, comprising all individuals and Kane and Garfield Counties, then timely petitioned for judicial review, appealing the agency's determination pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. § 706(2)(E). At the outset, the district court dismissed Kane and Garfield Counties for lack of standing. Stewart v. Norton, No. 2:06 CV 209, 2006 WL 3305409, at  (D.Utah Sept.29, 2006). The remaining plaintiffs claimed a lack of substantial evidence to support the ALJ's findings that (1) Canyonlands was qualified to hold a grazing permit; (2) Canyonlands made conditional offers to relinquish its grazing preferences; and (3) the BLM allows for conditional relinquishments. Stewart, 2008 WL 80252, at . The district court rejected all three arguments, and affirmed the decision of the ALJ. Id. at -11. The individual Plaintiffs now appeal this decision, and the Counties appeal their dismissal for lack of standing. On appeal, Plaintiffs argue that both the ALJ and the district court incorrectly held that there are only two mandatory qualifications for becoming a valid grazing permit holder under the TGA. As noted by the district court, the two mandatory qualifications are (1) ownership or control of base property, and (2) satisfaction of citizenship requirements or authorization to conduct business in the state in which the grazing permit is sought. Id. at . Plaintiffs maintain that the TGA additionally requires an applicant to own livestock in order to qualify for a grazing preference and to possess an intent to graze. [2] Plaintiffs claim that, because Canyonlands could not satisfy either condition, it was not a qualified applicant under the TGA. Thus, they claim, the denials of the individual Plaintiffs' grazing permit applications were improper. Plaintiffs further claim that the counties were improperly dismissed for lack of standing.