For the third time since 2022, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana has found major legal violations in connection with the U.S. Forest Service’s plans to log, burn, and apply herbicides to more than 13,000 acres of the Hoosier National Forest. In particular, the court found that the Forest Service failed to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act by refusing to seriously engage with significant concerns regarding the project’s foreseeable effects to water quality in Lake Monroe, which provides drinking water to 145,000 Indiana residents. Our firm brought this case on behalf of Monroe County, Indiana Forest Alliance, Hoosier Environmental Council, and Friends of Lake Monroe. The opinion can be found here.

Image courtesy of Indiana Forest Alliance