Court Opinion

ID: 9461459
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 22:14:54.687247+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:37:04.321018
License: Public Domain

ROBB, Circuit Judge
(dissenting):
Although I do not quarrel with the able discussion and resolution of the merits in the majority opinion I believe the District Court should have dismissed this action for want of jurisdiction.
Section 505 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, 33 U.S.C. § 1365 provides:
§ 1365. Citizen suits — Authorization; jurisdiction
(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, any citizen may commence a civil action on his own behalf—
(2) against the Administrator where there is alleged a failure of the Administrator to perform any act or duty under this chapter which is not discretionary with the Administrator.
* * * 5k * *
Notice
(b) No action may be commenced—
(2) under subsection (a)(2) of this section prior to sixty days after the plaintiff has given notice of such action to the Administrator,
*731NRDC did not give the notice required by the statute; indeed at oral argument in this court counsel for NRDC stated that they purposely did not give notice because the giving of notice would have entailed a delay.
The notice requirement is plain and unequivocal and applies to this case, but the majority opinion in effect reads it out of the statute. In this I cannot concur.