Blue Ridge Envtl. Def. League, Inc. v. Commonwealth ex rel. Virginia State Water Control Bd.

Full title: BLUE RIDGE ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE LEAGUE, INC., et al. v. COMMONWEALTH of…

Court: Supreme Court of Virginia.

Date published: Jan 13, 2012

283 Va. 1 (Va. 2012)

720 S.E.2d 138

Opinion

Record No. 101476.

2012-01-13

BLUE RIDGE ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE LEAGUE, INC., et al. v. COMMONWEALTH of Virginia, ex rel. VIRGINIA STATE WATER CONTROL BOARD, et al.

From the Court of Appeals of Virginia.Robert L. Wise (David E. Gluckman; Bowman and Brooke, on briefs), Richmond, for appellants. E. Duncan Getchell, Jr., J. Tracy Walker, IV, (Kenneth T. Cuccinelli, II, Attorney General; David C. Grandis, Assistant Attorney General; David E. Evans; Darin K. Waylett, Richmond; Kristy A. Niehaus Bulleit; McGuireWoods, Richmond; Hunton & Williams, on brief), for appellees.

PER CURIAM.

From the Court of Appeals of Virginia.Robert L. Wise (David E. Gluckman; Bowman and Brooke, on briefs), Richmond, for appellants. E. Duncan Getchell, Jr., J. Tracy Walker, IV, (Kenneth T. Cuccinelli, II, Attorney General; David C. Grandis, Assistant Attorney General; David E. Evans; Darin K. Waylett, Richmond; Kristy A. Niehaus Bulleit; McGuireWoods, Richmond; Hunton & Williams, on brief), for appellees.

Present: KINSER, C.J., LEMONS, and MILLETTE, JJ., and CARRICO, RUSSELL, LACY, and KOONTZ, S.JJ.

PER CURIAM.

We granted the petition for appeal in this case to determine whether the Court of Appeals erred in reversing a circuit court's judgment and applying the arbitrary and capricious standard of review to the State Water Control Board's (Board) decision to reissue a Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit to Virginia Electric and Power Company for its North Lake Anna Nuclear Power Station (the Station). We also determine whether the Court of Appeals erred in reversing the circuit court and affirming the Board's determination that the discharge of heated water from the Station into a waste heat treatment facility, classified as a “waste treatment facility” under state and federal regulations, does not require a separate discharge permit.

We have considered all the issues raised in the assignments of error and for the reasons stated in the opinion of the Court of Appeals in Commonwealth v. Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, Inc., 56 Va.App. 469, 694 S.E.2d 290 (2010), we will affirm its judgment.

Affirmed.