Court Denies Simplot’s Motion to Dismiss Clean Water Act Case Over Illegal Factory Farm Pollution on the Snake River
June 25, 2024
Our lawsuit challenging decades of unlawful pollution discharges into the Snake River at a Grand View, Idaho cattle feedlot will move forward following a decision by a federal court judge. Idaho Chief District Judge David C. Nye upheld our Clean Water Act (CWA) lawsuit filed in May 2023 against J.R. Simplot Company and Simplot Livestock Company (Simplot) in the United States District Court for the District of Idaho.
Simplot filed a motion to dismiss the case in July 2023, arguing that SRW “failed to describe exactly where, when, and how such alleged illicit discharges occur” and that its claims against the facility were vague and insufficient. The court’s ruling denies Simplot’s motion in its entirety.
“For decades, Simplot’s Grand View feedlot has used the Snake River as a sewer system to move manure downstream and pollute our water,” said Snake River Waterkeeper’s Executive Director, Buck Ryan. “It’s time for Idaho to stop offering zero accountability to one of our nation’s biggest feedlot polluters and prioritize clean water and healthy aquatic habitat. This case is a critical step toward a healthy Snake River future. We are grateful that the Court has seen through Simplot’s flimsy dismissal claims, and we look forward to giving the river its day in court.”
Read the court’s decision and our press release: