A federal judge dealt a blow to developers of an approved gold mine, ruling that the Army Corps of Engineers did not adequately consider the environmental consequences of a potential mine wastewater spill during the project’s evaluation.
Judge Sharon Gleason in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska stated in an order released on Monday that the corps had failed to properly assess the potential impacts of a proposed 471-foot-tall earthen dam that would contain around 500 million tons of hazardous mine waste.
While Gleason’s order found fault with the corps’ analysis, it did acknowledge that the federal agencies had correctly included the state’s health impact assessment in their final evaluation. Additionally, she affirmed that the Corps had conducted a significant degradation analysis in compliance with the Clean Water Act.
The next steps are uncertain. Typically, a judge would return the permits to the federal agencies for further scrutiny and analysis to address the deficiencies identified in the order.
Implications on Environmental Assessment
The ruling highlights the importance of thorough environmental assessments in large-scale projects like mines. Inadequate consideration of potential risks, such as a wastewater spill, can have long-lasting and devastating effects on the surrounding ecosystem and communities.
Legal Precedent on Project Reviews
This case sets a precedent for the level of scrutiny that federal agencies must apply when evaluating the environmental impacts of proposed developments. It reinforces the need for a comprehensive analysis that considers all potential risks and consequences to prevent future environmental disasters.
