Yes, quite a staggering Court Decision. I expected the permit to pump tailings into a lake to be knocked back. There is a solution to that.
But then to knock back the dock permit on the grounds that "since the marine facility would solely serve the mine, and the mine's disposal permit was withdrawn, there would be no point in granting the permit for the dock" is a Monty Python legal judgement totally ignoring the possibility of other disposal methods.
I don't think anyone expected that.
“Cancellation of permit to pipe mining waste into a lake was not the only casualty for a mining proposal north of Juneau. The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals revoked that permit this week plus a permit for a nearby dock that had been held by Juneau's village Native corporation, Goldbelt. The court Tuesday ruled against Coeur Alaska's tailings disposal permit for the Kensington Mine. The Army Corps of Engineers had granted it. The court ruled that the permit violated the federal Clean Water Act. Cancelation of the dock permit followed.
Goldbelt Vice President Bob Martin says the court reasoned that since the marine facility would solely serve the mine, and the mine's disposal permit was withdrawn, there would be no point in granting the permit for the dock. Martin says that's wrong. He says Goldbelt also wanted the dock to use it as a tourism facility.
Martin says Goldbelt has NOT had a chance yet to discuss its options. Before the lawsuit was filed to block the mine tailings permit, Kensington was expected to open this year. If it ever begins production, the mine will be the third-largest mine in Alaska, employing about 200 people and producing more than one million ounces of gold over its ten- to 15-year life. Owner Coeur D'Alene Mines Corporation says the mine's construction cost is roughly 238 million dollars.”
http://www.ktva.com/alaska/ci_5977149
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