Court rules for development of Lila Canyon mine

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that two federal agencies rightfully allowed UtahAmerican Energy to continue its development of the Lila Canyon Mine near Wellington, Utah. A suit brought by the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance contended the Bureau of Land Management improperly extended the time frame for the development of six leases that would tap the coal reserves of the Book Cliffs.

The decision also rejected an argument by the environmental group that the Interior department should have required an updated mining plan because so much time had passed since the company first sought permits for drilling. UtahAmerican first purchased the mining rights from the Intermountain Power Agency in 1999 and received mining approval in 2001 from the Interior department. The Deseret News