skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina s congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Myorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Judge Puts CuMo Mine Project Near Boise On Hold

play audio
Play

Wednesday, July 13, 2016   

BOISE, Idaho - A federal district judge has put the CuMo Mine project at the headwaters of the Boise River on hold for a second time.

The judge ruled that the U.S. Forest Service acted arbitrarily when it issued permits for a Canadian company to explore for molybdenum, used as an alloy to make steel stronger. Several groups, including the Idaho Conservation League and Idaho Rivers United, had sued, concerned about potential damage to the watershed that provides 20 percent of Boise's drinking water.

"It's a win for the people who live along the Boise River," said Sean Finn, a boad member of the Golden Eagle Chapter of the Audubon Society, the third plaintiff in the suit, "and for the wildlife and the vegetation that relies on the Boise River as an oasis in an area that is essentially desert."

The CuMo project includes plans for 10 miles of roads and 137 drill pads, which could pave the way for a huge open-pit mine. Four years ago, the court blocked the project, saying the Forest Service hadn't adequately studied the impact on groundwater. This time, the judge wanted to know more about the impact on a rare flower called Sacajawea's bitterroot in the Grimes Creek area.

In the wake of mining disasters such as the one that fouled the Animas River in Colorado, Finn said he thinks mines shouldn't be built right above a major population center such as Boise.

"The Forest Service, in our opinion, is inappropriately allowing them to do exploratory mining without doing appropriate environmental assessment before that mining occurs," he said.

The CuMo project isn't dead yet. It could be revived if the Forest Service submits a more in-depth environmental assessment and the judge approves it.

ICL's blog about the decision is online at idahoconservation.org.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021