A federal judge in Montana has blocked the development of a contested mine next to a wilderness area in the northwestern part of the state, handing a victory to environmental activists who had argued the project could endanger grizzly bears and bull trout.
Citing the Endangered Species Act and other federal environmental laws in a pair of rulings late on Tuesday, US District Judge Donald Malloy effectively cancelled the US Forest Service permit issued for the proposed copper and silver mine last year.
