"Judge Suspends Navajo Mining Permit"

"In a significant legal victory for Navajo campaigners, a federal judge has voided a permit for the expansion of one of two operating mines on the Navajo reservation, calling for a more thorough review of the project's impact on the environment and on cultural sites.

In a decision issued Friday, Judge John L. Kane of United States District Court for the District of Colorado ordered the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, part of the federal Department of Interior, to reassess the proposed expansion of the Navajo Mine on tribal land in New Mexico.

The agency granted the permit for the expansion of mining by 4,800 acres in 2005 after an environmental assessment found that the proposal would have no significant environmental impact. "

Mireya Navarro reports for the New York Times' Green blog November 1, 2010.