2019 Year End Report summary

The Rico West Dolores (RWD) lawsuit has been fully briefed, with the Petitioners (TPA, SJTR, and PAPA) as well as the Wild Earth Guardians group filing reply briefs on November 1, 2019.  The case was originally filed on September 14, 2018.  The TPA Petitioners have raised various claims under the Administrative Procedure Act, NEPA and the Travel Management Rule seeking to have the RWD Travel Plan declared unlawful and set aside.  If the TPA Petitioners succeed, it could result in the Plan being remanded to the Forest Service for further analysis, including to consider and/or adopt a plan that will modify or reduce the roughly one-third reduction of motorcycle trails in the challenged decision. The joint case management plan, which was approved by the Court, states “ parties agree that this case would be aided by oral argument.”  The Court has not yet indicated whether it will hear argument.  A decision on the merits in a case of this nature typically issues about 3-6 months from final submission of the briefs, or, if argument occurs, the end of argument.  So a decision from the district court seems likely sometime during the spring-summer of 2020.

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