In the Courtroom

Sparrows Point Copyright Garth Lens/iLCP Having filed a lawsuit in 2010, CBF continues its active litigation which seeks a full investigation and cleanup of pollution at the Sparrows Point steel mill in Baltimore, Maryland. © 2010 Garth Lenz/iLCP

To Protect, Enforce, and Bring About Change

CBF's Litigation Department uses carefully chosen legal action as another tool for advancing the restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay, its rivers, lakes, and streams. Litigation is used to not only protect and enforce the current environmental laws but to bring about environmentally friendly change within our legal system. CBF attorneys argue cases in the federal and state courts within the watershed and file amicus curiae—also called Friend of the Court—briefs in related environmental lawsuits.

Carefully executed litigation serves three primary purposes:

It spurs enforcement efforts against those who violate laws that were created to protect the watershed.
It helps define and drive the agenda for public debate over restoration and protection of the Bay.
It delivers concrete and enforceable progress in resource restoration.

Learn more about CBF's active cases, concluded cases, and amicus curiae briefs.

You may also be interested in:

Sparrows Point: An Economic and Environmental Liability Neighbors of Sparrows Point in Baltimore, Maryland, including the communities of Turner’s Station, North Point, and Dundalk, have long expressed concerns about the impacts of current and historic releases of toxic chemicals into the air, surface water, and ground water.
CBF Challenges Plan for Offshore Testing at Steel Plant CBF and its partners have appealed a court ruling that would allow the owners of the Sparrows Point steel plant to conduct only a minimal investigation into offshore pollution at the plant.
Bear Creek: Where Residents Fish. And Worry. The scariest thing in the area these days certainly isn't black bears. It might be the creek itself.
CBF and Partners Call on Court to Dismiss Bay Clean-up Lawsuit CBF has called on Pennsylvania federal court Judge Sylvia Rambo to dismiss a lawsuit filed by agricultural and home building lobbyists who are seeking to abolish scientifically developed limits on pollution that is destroying the Chesapeake Bay.
PA Court Decision Provides Environmental Protection CBF issued the following statement in response to the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania decision affirming the ability of local authorities to zone drilling activities and overturning a permit waiver provision.

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In the Courtroom

To Protect, Enforce, and Bring About Change

Decades of Success