Opinion ID: 3217620
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Intrusion into State Government Operations

Text: Washington contends that the court’s order “impermissibly and significantly intrudes into state government operations.” Brief at 63. Washington contends that it “was making great strides in repairing culverts before any federal court intervention,” and that “there was no need for the court to issue a detailed and expensive injunction that sets an inflexible and tight schedule for culvert repair.” Id. at 63–64. Washington implies that the cost of complying with the court’s order will oblige the State to cut other important state programs: [T]he injunction will require the State to devote roughly $100 million per year more than it otherwise would have to culvert repair. This at a time when the State faces recurring budget shortfalls in the billions of dollars and has already made deep and painful cuts to subsidized health insurance for low income workers, K-12 schools, higher education, and basic aid for persons unable to work. Id. at 58. We disagree. 56 UNITED STATES V. WASHINGTON The district court disagreed with Washington’s contention that there was “no need” for the court to order correction of its barrier culverts. Based on the State’s slow rate of barrier correction, the court concluded that “under the current State approach, the problem of WSDOT barrier culverts in the Case Area will never be solved.” The district court also disagreed with the Washington’s cost estimates. As seen above, Washington’s estimate of its cost to comply with the court’s order (“roughly $100 million per year” more than it would otherwise spend) is dramatically overstated. The district court carefully considered the marginal cost imposed on Washington by its injunction and concluded that the State could comply with the order without cutting vital state programs. The court relied on a state budget document showing that $9.9 billion was allocated to the state transportation budget for the 2011–2013 biennium. Of that $9.9 billion, $7.88 billion was allocated to WSDOT. Noting the separation of the transportation budget from other state budgets, the court concluded, “The separation of the Transportation Budget from the Operating and Capital Budgets ensures that money will not be taken from education, social services, or other vital State functions to fund culvert repairs.”