Title 16 — ConservationRelease 119-73not60

§6516 Judicial Review in United States District Courts

Title 16 › Chapter 84— HEALTHY FOREST RESTORATION › Subchapter I— HAZARDOUS FUEL REDUCTION ON FEDERAL LAND › § 6516

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

Limits court review to the U.S. district court in the district where the federal land to be treated is located for authorized hazardous fuels reduction projects. The court is asked to move the case quickly and try to decide, as soon as possible after the complaint or appeal is filed, whether it has authority and, if so, the case on the merits. Preliminary injunctions or stays that stop the project while the case is decided generally can last no more than 60 days. A court may renew an injunction one or more times, but each time the parties must give updated information on the project's status. When deciding an injunction, the court must weigh the short- and long-term effects on the ecosystem of doing the project against not doing it.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §6516

Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Notwithstanding section 1391 of title 28 or other applicable law, an authorized hazardous fuels reduction project conducted under this subchapter shall be subject to judicial review only in the United States district court for a district in which the Federal land to be treated under the authorized hazardous fuels reduction project is located.

(b)In the judicial review of an action challenging an authorized hazardous fuel reduction project under subsection (a), Congress encourages a court of competent jurisdiction to expedite, to the maximum extent practicable, the proceedings in the action with the goal of rendering a final determination on jurisdiction, and (if jurisdiction exists) a final determination on the merits, as soon as practicable after the date on which a complaint or appeal is filed to initiate the action.

(c)(1)Subject to paragraph (2), the length of any preliminary injunctive relief and stays pending appeal covering an authorized hazardous fuel reduction project carried out under this subchapter shall not exceed 60 days.

(2)(A)A court of competent jurisdiction may issue 1 or more renewals of any preliminary injunction, or stay pending appeal, granted under paragraph (1).

(B)In each renewal of an injunction in an action, the parties to the action shall present the court with updated information on the status of the authorized hazardous fuel reduction project.

(3)As part of its weighing the equities while considering any request for an injunction that applies to an agency action under an authorized hazardous fuel reduction project, the court reviewing the project shall balance the impact to the ecosystem likely affected by the project of—

(A)the short- and long-term effects of undertaking the agency action; against

(B)the short- and long-term effects of not undertaking the agency action.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 6516

Title 16 — Conservation

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60