Endangered Wildlife Deters West Virginia Lumber Housing Project

The US Fish and Wildlife Service lawfully rejected a permit for a timber harvest and housing development project that could have ravaged the habitats of several imperiled species, a federal judge in West Virginia said.

The federal conservation agency’s decision was well-reasoned and based on substantial evidence, Chief Judge Thomas S. Kleeh of the US District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia said Monday. The agency correctly identified and showed that the project didn’t provide enough information to assess its effects on endangered animal and wildlife species, the judge said.

The timber harvest and housing development project was ...