1.   And though Sims and other local leaders hope to get a broad federal exemption from citizen lawsuits, federal officials are leaning toward narrow exemptions.

2.   Honan questioned why lawmakers want to abolish citizen lawsuits.

3.   If they are written as simple, sweeping prohibitions, they could paralyze economic growth by exposing all kinds of actions to citizen lawsuits.

4.   In Missouri, citizen lawsuits have stopped pollution caused by runoff from hog- and chicken-rendering operations, he said.

5.   Instead, King, Pierce and Snohomish counties and their component cities want rules that would exempt them from citizen lawsuits.

6.   Should that happen, a one-year deterrent to citizen lawsuits could become a permanent deterrent, with unfortunate consequences.

7.   The House bill expressly allows such citizen lawsuits.

8.   The reform bill also authorizes citizen lawsuits to enforce environmental and mining law compliance and sets enforcement guidelines with civil and criminal penalties for non-compliance.

9.   A circuit judge held a hearing Friday on several combined citizen lawsuits.

10.   A circuit judge held a hearing Friday on several combined citizen lawsuits seeking a revote in Palm Beach County because of the ballot.