Title 16, ConservationRelease 119-110

§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 Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Lawsuits about an authorized hazardous fuels reduction project must be filed only in the U.S. district court for the district where the federal land to be treated is located. Courts are urged to move these cases quickly so they can decide whether they can hear the case and, if so, decide the main issues as soon as possible after a complaint or appeal is filed. Preliminary injunctions or stays for these projects generally cannot last more than 60 days. A court may renew an injunction one or more times, but each time the parties must give updated information about the project. 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)Venue

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)Expeditious completion of judicial review

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)Injunctions

(1)In general

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)Renewal

(A)In general

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

(B)Updates

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)Balancing of short

and long-term effects

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)

(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

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110