December 20, 2017: Conservation groups sued the Trump administration today to stop imminent expansion of the West Elk coal mine into roadless wildlands on the Gunnison National Forest. The lawsuit seeks a court order to prevent St. Louis-based Arch Coal from starting exploratory drilling and road construction as soon as today on pristine public lands on Colorado’s West Slope.
The coal mine expansion required approval from the Forevst Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The Forest Service on Monday approved Arch Coal’s lease to mine 17 million tons of coal on 1,700 acres about 40 miles southwest of Aspen. With its decision today, the Department of Interior’s fast-track approval circumvented the usual BLM process and eliminated the chance for groups to appeal the decision, which would have prevented mine expansion work for at least 75 days.
Read the offical complaint here.