---
kind: "section"
citation: "16 U.S.C. § 6516"
title: "16"
title_heading: "Conservation"
number: "6516"
heading: "Judicial review in United States district courts"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/16/6516"
units:
  - "Chapter 84 — Healthy Forest Restoration"
  - "Subchapter I — Hazardous Fuel Reduction on Federal Land"
---

# §6516. Judicial review in United States district courts

- (a) **Venue—** Notwithstanding [section 1391 of title 28](/usc/28/1391.md) or other applicable law, an authorized hazardous fuels reduction [project](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-4) conducted under this subchapter shall be subject to judicial review only in the United States district court for a district in which the [Federal land](/usc/16/6502.md?p=1) to be treated under the authorized hazardous fuels reduction [project](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-4) is located.
- (b) **Expeditious completion of judicial review—** In the judicial review of an action challenging an [authorized hazardous fuel reduction project](/usc/16/6511.md?p=2-A) under [subsection (a)](#a), Congress encourages a court of competent jurisdiction to expedite, to the maximum extent practicable, the proceedings in the action with the goal of rendering a final determination on jurisdiction, and (if jurisdiction exists) a final determination on the merits, as soon as practicable after the date on which a complaint or appeal is filed to initiate the action.
- (c) **Injunctions—**
  - (1) **In general—** Subject to [paragraph (2)](#c-2), the length of any preliminary injunctive relief and stays pending appeal covering an [authorized hazardous fuel reduction project](/usc/16/6511.md?p=2-A) carried out under this subchapter shall not exceed 60 days.
  - (2) **Renewal—**
    - (A) **In general—** A court of competent jurisdiction may issue 1 or more renewals of any preliminary injunction, or stay pending appeal, granted under [paragraph (1)](#c-1).
    - (B) **Updates—** In each renewal of an injunction in an action, the parties to the action shall present the court with updated information on the status of the [authorized hazardous fuel reduction project](/usc/16/6511.md?p=2-A).
  - (3) **Balancing of short- and long-term effects—** As part of its weighing the equities while considering any request for an injunction that applies to an agency action under an [authorized hazardous fuel reduction project](/usc/16/6511.md?p=2-A), the court reviewing the [project](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-4) shall balance the impact to the ecosystem likely affected by the [project](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-4) of—
    - (A) the short- and long-term effects of undertaking the agency action; against
    - (B) the short- and long-term effects of not undertaking the agency action.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 108–148, title I, § 106, Dec. 3, 2003, 117 Stat. 1900.)