State jurist halts mining tests
AP
Albany
A mining company must delay test drilling on Adirondack Forest Preserve land under a temporary restraining order issued by a New York state Supreme Court justice in a lawsuit claiming the work was illegal despite state agency approval.
New York voters approved a constitutional amendment last fall for NYCO Minerals Inc. to expand its Essex County pit mine onto 200 acres of state-owned land in exchange for 1,500 acres elsewhere. The company had planned to do test drilling before completing the swap, to ascertain whether it contained a rich vein of wollastonite, a white mineral used in ceramics, plastics, paints and other products.
But Deborah Goldberg of Earthjustice said Wednesday that since the 200 acres is still under state Forest Preserve protection, any tree-cutting or test drilling is illegal, despite approval by the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Adirondack Park Agency.
http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/State-jurist-halts-mining-tests-5626927.php
