The National Rifle Association and much of the pro-gun lobby intervened on the EPA's side in urging the federal appeals court to uphold the dismissal of a lawsuit by 101 environmentalist organizations. "Given that bullets and shot can become spent only if they are first contained in a cartridge or shell and then fired from a weapon," the environmental groups "have identified no way in which EPA could regulate spent bullets and shot without also regulating cartridges and shells," precisely what the law prohibits, said the decision by appeals judge David Tatel, a nominee of President Bill Clinton. The other two judges on the case were Patricia Millett and Cornelia Pillard, both nominees of President Barack Obama.
