Showdown over Spring Creek Mine expansion pits Interior Department versus environmental groups

The U.S. Interior Department's approval of expansion plans for Montana’s largest coal mine was challenged Friday in Federal District Court in Billings. The lawsuit, filed in 2014 against Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and the U.S.Office of Surface Mining, involves several issues surrounding air quality, reclamation and public input for expansion plans at the Spring Creek Mine in southeastern Montana.. Spring Creek is Montana's largest coal mine, employing 280 workers and is owned by Cloud Peak Energy. Details of the mine’s latest expansion came under fire at Friday's hearing.. The Northern Plains Resource Council, the Western Organization of Resource Councils, and the WildEarth Guardians initially asked the judge to shut down the mine, but the groups conceded at the hearing that another remedy would be acceptable. Federal District Court Judge Carolyn Ostby presided over the hearing and, after more than three hours of debate, Ostby ordered the parties to work out an acceptable remedy among them. The parties have 60 days to come to an agreement; otherwise Ostby said she would decide. New air quality standards were set in place by the Environmental Protection Agency in the middle of the planning for the coal mine expansion project. Plaintiffs allege that the company failed to consider the new standards that placed stronger restrictions on air pollutants. Attorneys for the mine said a thorough independent environmental analysis was conducted and the company did not believe the air quality would be harmed by the expansion...more