In a quietly issued Dec. 28 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rejected the tribe's challenge to a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission decision regarding a hydroelectric project on the Klamath River.

The hydro project provides power to residents of six states, while the Hoopa Valley Tribe relies on the river for trout. After FERC refused to impose additional restrictions on the hydro project to protect the trout, the tribe sued. The three-judge panel, though, ruled that federal regulators were acting within their expertise.