Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit to Block Alabama Coal Mine Dredge-and-Fill Permits

A federal judge in Alabama has granted summary judgment in favor of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a group of coal mining companies in a lawsuit aimed at revoking dredge-and-fill permits that plaintiffs claimed were reauthorized without applying current water protection standards (Black Warrior Riverkeeper v. U.S. Army Corps of Eng’rsopinion issued).

U.S. District Judge William M. Acker Jr., in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, May 21 dismissed the plaintiffs’ claims on the basis of laches or an unreasonable delay in filing by the plaintiffs that would cause an inequitable burden ...