The Latest On: Rocky Mountain
Rebecca Curry, Policy Advocate, Earthjustice: “Instead of comparing water samples against the EPA’s outdated PFAS health advisory, Colorado should follow the lead of other states and adopt stronger protections given the significant toxicity of these man-made ‘forever chemicals’ even at low levels of exposure.”
Robin Cooley, Attorney, Rocky Mountain Office, Earthjustice: “I can’t speak to their motivation, but I can definitely say that it isn’t surprising to me that the District Court was taking some time given that the courts have been closed down by the COVID crisis so for Mountain Coal to use that to their advantage is pretty unacceptable. Mountain Coal said what would happen if the court vacated the North Fork Exception. And the court vacated the exception and they built their road anyway.”
Michael Freeman, Attorney, Rocky Mountain Office, Earthjustice: “BLM doesn’t have specific knowledge of forest lands. They’re not as intimately familiar with a national forest as the agency that’s responsible for managing that forest. It’s critical that at every stage, the Forest Service analyze the lands that are proposed for drilling.”
Gussie Lord, Director of Tribal Partnerships, Earthjustice: “It’s based on these common-law trust principles, like when you’re holding someone else’s property in trust — you can’t just do anything you want with it. You have to take care of it, and preferably in the way the property owner wants.”
