South 32 Hermosa Project in the Patagonia Mountains. The mine development project earned a FAST-41 federal designation which streamlines its permitting process.
The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and other conservation groups filed for a preliminary injunction on Friday to stop two mineral exploration projects in the Patagonia Mountains.
This effort follows a lawsuit filed in June in the U.S. District Court in Tucson, against the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), for its approval of the projects, which could lead to around-the-clock drilling in a biologically sensitive habitat.
CBD is joined by the Patagonia Area Resource Alliance, Save the Scenic Santa Ritas, the Tucson Audubon Society, Earthworks, and other groups that claim that the agency has failed to analyze the cumulative harm that the mineral exploration projects would have on the environment.
The groups also filed a notice to sue the Biden-Harris administration for its violations of the Endangered Species Act unless the approval of the exploration projects is revoked within 60 days.
The court documents say both the USFS and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have failed to properly analyze the risks towards threatened species such as Mexican spotted owls and Western yellow-billed cuckoos.
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