Judge voids U.S. approval of Montana mine
By SUSAN GALLAGHER, ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
HELENA, Mont. (AP) - A judge sidelined a copper and silver mine criticized
by environmentalists and swank jeweler Tiffany, saying the plan was approved
without consideration of the possible harm to imperiled grizzly bears and
bull trout.
Judge Donald Molloy said the Fish and Wildlife Service inadequately weighed
the possible effects of the mining proposal on wildlife that fall under the
protection of the federal Endangered Species Act.
Revett Silver Co. has proposed developing the Rock Creek mine on the edge of
the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness Area in northwestern Montana.
Environmentalists praised the Monday ruling.
“It’s a huge victory for extremely imperiled wildlife and for a lot of folks
in northwest Montana who care about clean water and having unspoiled
wilderness in the Cabinet Mountains, and moved there for those reasons,”
said Tim Preso of Earthjustice, an environmental coalition.
A call seeking comment on the court decision was not returned by William
Orchow, president of Spokane, Wash.-based Revett.
The administration of Gov. Brian Schweitzer hasn’t studied the ruling and
will not comment yet, governor’s spokeswoman Sarah Elliott said late
Wednesday.
In a full-page advertisement last year in The Washington Post, Tiffany & Co.
demanded the federal government reject the mine and change the nation’s
nearly 135-year-old mining law.
“It is by no means the first time that we have communicated with appropriate
government officials about our desire to see precious metals and gemstones
extracted in environmentally and socially responsible ways,” the company
said at the time. “Our record on that score goes back nearly a decade.”