Amends the venue provisions of Federal law with respect to environmental litigation.
Defines an "action of a local environmental nature" as one which: (1) arises under Federal law pertaining to wildlife, public lands, water rights, or environmental quality; and (2) primarily affects local or regional interests in a judicial district or contiguous districts other than the district in which the action was originally filed.
Requires the plaintiff, in any action which may be of a local environmental nature and is brought in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to forward a copy of the complaint to up to five State attorneys general.
Requires a court, upon its own motion or the motion of a party or intervenor, to transfer an action of a local environmental nature to a judicial district where such action might have been brought, unless a party shows: (1) substantial hardship or injustice would result; or (2) the impact of the action is substantially national rather than local in effect or scope.
Stipulates that such a transfer is not required if an action of a local environmental nature has a significant impact in the district in which it was originally filed.
Introduced in Senate
Read second time and referred to Senate Committee on Judiciary.
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