Yesterday the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 6-3 decision allowing mining waste to be dumped into an Alaska lake in a closely watched environmental case. The decision overturned a U.S. appeals court's ruling that had invalidated the permit issued by the United States Army Corps of Engineers to Coeur Alaska.The Corps of Engineers had initially issued the permit to Coeur Alaska to discharge slurry - despite claims that it will make the lake uninhabitable for aquatic life. Environmental advocacy groups sued claiming there was a violation of the Clean Water Act and arguing that the EPA was the proper agency to issue the permit, not the Corps of Engineers. The federal appeals court blocked the permit on environmental grounds before the case went to the Supreme Court. The Court ruled that the Corps of Engineers was the proper agency to issue the permit, not the EPA, and that the Corps acted in accordance with the law when issuing the discharge permit. To read the full opinion, click here.
For more information about the Clean Water Act, click here. For more news coverage of the decision, click here.
Updated: 06/24/09
