BOISE, Idaho -- U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill ruled Dec. 18 that the U.S. Forest Service acted "arbitrarily and capriciously" in not determining risks to water quality and Yellowstone cutthroat trout when it granted a Canadian company's permit to explore for free gold on public lands west of Yellowstone National Park.
Represented by the firm Advocates for the West, the Idaho Conservation League and Greater Yellowstone Coalition filed suit in November 2018 challenging Otis Gold's exploration permit, which was granted the previous August.
"Idaho's water is more important than gold. It's the lifeblood of our state and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem," said Kathy Rinaldi, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition's Idaho Conservation Coordinator. "Any mining or exploration needs to ensure that the resources we value in Idaho, water, wildlife and productive farmland, are protected. This ruling does that."
Judge Winmill ordered Caribou-Targhee National Forest to determine the potential impact of Otis Gold's work on ground water in the Dog Bone Ridge area of Clark County, and on Yellowstone cutthroat trout habitat in Corral Creek, which flows from the project area. The ruling affirmed the permit as it applies to other areas targeted for drilling.
Represented by the firm Advocates for the West, the Idaho Conservation League and Greater Yellowstone Coalition filed suit in November 2018 challenging Otis Gold's exploration permit, which was granted the previous August.
"Idaho's water is more important than gold. It's the lifeblood of our state and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem," said Kathy Rinaldi, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition's Idaho Conservation Coordinator. "Any mining or exploration needs to ensure that the resources we value in Idaho, water, wildlife and productive farmland, are protected. This ruling does that."
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| Corral Creek is Yellowstone cutthroat trout habitat. |
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