MARQUETTE, MI-- A federal judge has denied a motion for reconsideration regarding the Marquette County Road Commission’s lawsuit against the EPA for permission to construct County Road 595.
The Mining Journal reports Judge Robert Holmes Bell dismissed the road commission’s case last week on the grounds that the road commission failed to state a claim against the EPA.
The county has long wanted to construct the 21-mile-long road that would provide a more direct route between the Eagle Mine and its processing facility in Humboldt Township.
Environmental group Save the Wild U.P. is applauding the judge’s denial, saying the road would damage vital watersheds and wetlands.
The road commission says it plans to file an appeal in the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. The Pacific Legal Foundation is assisting the road commission in its case.