TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Nov 22, 2024

Environmental groups American Riverkeepers and American Whitewater filed a lawsuit in federal court Monday against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Forest Service. The lawsuit alleges the agencies illegally allowed CSX Transportation to dredge the Nolichucky River gorge in East Tennessee for rocks and other materials to rebuild rail lines damaged or washed away by floods from Hurricane Helene. According to the Tennessee Lookout, the dredging poses risks to the river, its aquatic life and the potential for future downstream flooding that could affect communities dependent on the river for tourism revenue. The lawsuit claims the federal approvals violated standard agency procedures and several federal environmental laws designed to protect river ecosystems. CSX said it would continue to work with federal agencies to "ensure rail infrastructure is recovered and restored in the safest and most environmentally responsible way," the newspaper reports.