Ninth Circuit Upholds Ruling that Forest Service’s Approval of Mining Project in Critical Wildlife Habitat was Arbitrary and Capricious

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a lower court’s invalidation of the U.S. Forest Service’s approval of a controversial open-pit copper mine in southern Arizona’s Santa Rita Mountains, which provides critical habitat for jaguars, ocelots, and many other rare animal species. The suit was brought by a coalition of groups that include the Center for Biological Diversity, Save The Scenic Santa Ritas, Arizona Mining Reform Coalition, Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club, Tohono O’odham Nation, Hopi Tribe, and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona.