Environmentalists are suing the Interior Department for approving the planned expansion of a mine and a quest for rare earths on a National Park Service tract in California.
Earthjustice, on behalf of the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), filed the suit Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California’s Western Division, arguing Interior broke numerous federal laws when it signed off on activity at the Colosseum mine site.
“This is a blatant threat to the Mojave Preserve, setting a dangerous precedent that industrial mining interests can override decades of established park protections,” Earthjustice attorney Katrina Tomas said in a statement.
The complaint challenges the Bureau of Land Management’s approval of Australia-based Dateline Resources’ plan to look for rare earth minerals inside the Mojave National Preserve. BLM at the time said Dateline could continue mining operations under its existing mine plan of operations. The lawsuit also focuses on steps the National Park Service took to reverse course and allow the mine to move forward.
