Search Tips

Environmental Law & Policy Center, et al. v. N.D. Public Svc. Commission, et al.

Docket No. 20190220
Oral Argument: Tuesday, November 12, 2019 9:00 AM

Docket Info

Title
Environmental Law & Policy Center
and Dakota Resource Council, Appellants
v.
North Dakota Public Service Commission
and Meridian Energy Group, Inc., Appellees
Case Type
CIVIL APPEAL : ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDING
Appeal From
Case No. 2018-CV-02937
South Central Judicial District, Burleigh County
Bruce A. Romanick
2020 ND 192948 N.W.2d 838
Oral Argument 11/12/2019

Highlight

The Administrative Agencies Practice Act governs an appeal from a decision of the Public Service Commission.

The Public Service Commission’s authority to regulate is limited to that authority provided to it by the legislature.

For an administrative agency, the term “jurisdiction” has three components: (1) personal jurisdiction, referring to the agency’s authority over the parties and intervenors involved in the proceedings; (2) subject matter jurisdiction, referring to the agency’s power to hear and determine the causes of a general class of cases to which a particular case belongs; and (3) the agency’s scope of authority under statute.

The Commission’s regulatory authority is limited to projects that meet the definition of “gas or liquid energy conversion facility” found in N.D.C.C. § 49-22.1-01(6). A refinery not designed for or capable of refining 50,000 bpd is not a “gas or liquid energy conversion facility” as that term is defined. A project proponent may avoid the time and expense of the Commission’s regulatory review that comes with a larger project by deciding to reduce the scale of a project to a size just below the regulatory threshold.


Briefs

Filing Date Description
08/26/2019 APPELLANT BRIEF View
09/25/2019 APPELLEE BRIEF - Meridian Energy Group View
10/09/2019 REPLY BRIEF View

Counsel

Party Type Name
APPELLEE PRIVATE PRACTICE Lawrence Bender - 03908
APPELLANT PRIVATE PRACTICE Not Licensed in ND - 00002
APPELLANT PRIVATE PRACTICE Not Licensed in ND - 00002
APPELLEE ATT. GENERAL OFFICE Jennifer Leigh Verleger - 06732
APPELLEE ATT. GENERAL OFFICE John Maurice Schuh - 08138
APPELLANT PRIVATE PRACTICE Derrick Lance Braaten - 06394
APPELLANT PRIVATE PRACTICE JJ William England - 08135

(Note: Attachments may not be available for recently filed cases and/or confidential documents.)

Seq. # Filing Date Description Attachment
1 07/15/2019 NOTICE OF APPEAL : 07/15/2019
2 07/15/2019 NOT. OF FILING NOT. OF APPEAL AND PROOF OF SERV.
3 07/16/2019 Notice served on Derrick L. Braaten, JJ W. England, Illona A. Jeffcoat-Sacco, John M. Schuh, cont.
4 07/16/2019 Jennifer L. Verleger and Lawrence Bender
5 07/20/2019 ELECTRONIC MEETING TRANSCRIPT DATED DEC 19, 2017
6 07/20/2019 ELECTRONIC MEETING TRANSCRIPT DATED SEPT. 17, 2018
7 07/20/2019 ELECTRONIC MEETING TRANSCRIPT DATED OCTOBER 10, 2018
8 08/13/2019 ELEC. RECORD ON APPEAL DATED AUGUST 12, 2019 (ENTRY NOS.1-167, not including #8)
9 08/15/2019 AMENDED ELEC. RECORD ON APPEAL DATED AUGUST 14, 2019 (ENTRY NOS. 1-168, not including #8)
10 08/26/2019 Affidavit of Scott Strand in support of Admission to Practice Pro Hac Vice
11 08/26/2019 Affidavit of Rachel Granneman in support of Admission to Practice Pro Hac Vice
12 08/26/2019 APPELLANT BRIEF View
13 08/26/2019 APPELLANT APPENDIX
14 08/26/2019 Oral Argument Request by Appellants
15 08/29/2019 Rec'd non-substantive corrections to ATA (pg #ing, etc.)
16 09/03/2019 Rec'd e-filing surcharge for ATA (receipt #27359)
17 09/03/2019 Rec'd 6 copies of ATB & ATA from CSD
18 09/09/2019 MOTION TO TAKE JUDICIAL NOTICE, OR ALTERNATIVELY, MOTION TO STRIKE - RspDue : 09/23/2019
19 09/23/2019 Response Filed to Motion to Take Judicial Notice
20 09/25/2019 ACTION BY SUPREME COURT (judicial notice denied; motion to strike granted) - Denied
21 09/25/2019 APPELLEE BRIEF - Meridian Energy Group View
22 09/25/2019 Oral Argument Request by Appellee (Meridian Energy Group)
23 09/26/2019 Corrected page 15 rec'd for Appellant brief
24 09/26/2019 APPELLEE BRIEF - ND Public Service Commission View
25 09/26/2019 Oral Argument Request by Appellee (ND Public Srvice Commission)
26 10/02/2019 Rec'd 6 copies of AEB -Meridian back from Central Duplicating
27 10/02/2019 Rec'd 6 copies of AEB - ND Public Service Commission back from Central Duplicating
28 10/09/2019 REPLY BRIEF View
29 10/11/2019 Rec'd 6 copies of RYB from CSD
30 10/18/2019 NOTICE OF ORAL ARGUMENT SENT
31 11/05/2019 Request for Radio/TV Coverage
32 11/06/2019 ACTION BY CLERK (Prairie Public, KFYR-TV & Bismarck Tribune) - Granted
33 11/12/2019 APPEARANCES: Derrick L. Braaten, Scott Strand, John M. Schuh, Jennifer L.Verleger, Lawrence Bender
34 11/12/2019 ARGUED: Scott Strand, Jennifer L.Verleger, Lawrence Bender
35 11/12/2019 ORAL ARGUMENT WEBCAST
36 11/13/2019 Supplemental citations under N.D.R.App.P. 28(k) View
37 09/15/2020 DISPOSITION
38 09/15/2020 SPLIT OPINION : Tufte, Jerod E. View
39 09/15/2020 Dissenting : VandeWalle, Gerald W.
40 09/15/2020 Costs on appeal taxed in favor of Appellee
41 09/17/2020 Judgment Sent to Parties
42 10/07/2020 MANDATE