OTCQB:AQARF - Post by User
Post by
invidious1on Jan 04, 2021 8:26pm
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Post# 32221065
Crucial Back Forty Mine Permit Overturned
Crucial Back Forty Mine Permit OverturnedAdministrative law judge Daniel Pulter has rejected a wetland permit issued by the state of Michigan to Aquila Resources for its proposed Back Forty mine in Menominee County, Michigan.
The permit, if upheld, would have allowed Aquila to disrupt or destroy protected wetlands on and near the mine site on the east bank of the Menominee River west of Stephenson, Michigan.
However, Judge Pulter determined that the permit was improperly issued by the state Dept. of Environmental Quality (now called the Dept. of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)).
In a decision issued today (Jan. 4), Judge Pulter ruled that Aquila had not provided all the information necessary for EGLE to review and approve the permit. In particular, Pulter found that Aquila had not provided a complete assessment of mine alternatives that would be feasible and less damaging to the environment than the plan submitted by the company.
Pulter also found that Aquila’s modeling of mine impacts on surface- and groundwater was inadequate. He further held that, as a matter of law, it was improper for EGLE to issue a conditional wetland permit that allowed Aquila to correct deficiencies in its application after-the-fact.