Utah Highway’s Construction Paused Over Risk to Desert Tortoises

The Trump administration’s approval of a highway construction through a Mojave desert tortoise habitat in Utah was temporarily blocked by a federal judge who ruled the Interior Department didn’t sufficiently analyze route alternatives.

The US District Court for the District of Columbia rejected the agency’s interpretation of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act in a preliminary injunction issued Sunday. The court ruled the law doesn’t exempt the Interior from its obligation to preserve conservation areas and protect threatened species like the Mojave desert tortoise.

The conservation groups challenging the approval showed a likelihood they’ll ultimately succeed on the merits of ...