Court Affirms Yellowstone More Valuable than Gold, Blocks Mining Exploration

A Montana district court has quashed a permit that would have allowed Canadian mining company Lucky Minerals Inc. to explore for gold in Emigrant Gulch just north of Yellowstone National Park. The ruling blocks exploratory drilling that was slated to begin on July 15, 2019, and is a significant victory in the multi-year effort to protect Yellowstone National Park from new mines surrounding the national park.

Source: earthjustice.org

In a significant victory for environmentalists fighting to protect Yellowstone National Park, a Montana district court has quashed a permit that would have allowed Canadian mining company Lucky Minerals Inc. to explore for gold in Emigrant Gulch just north of Yellowstone National Park. This victory was the result of a lawsuit brought by Park County Environmental Council and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, both represented by Earthjustice, the ruling blocks exploratory drilling by Lucky Minerals that was slated to begin on July 15, 2019. The same court previously ruled that the Montana Department of Environmental Quality illegally approved the drilling plan when it failed to consider the plan’s threats to water quality and wildlife.