"Ruling Puts Hold On Gold Exploration Plans In Eastern Idaho"

"BOISE, Idaho — The U.S. Forest Service violated environmental laws by failing to adequately consider potential harm to Yellowstone cutthroat trout in a Canadian mining company’s plans to expand its search for gold in eastern Idaho, a judge has ruled.

U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill on Wednesday ordered the Forest Service to examine how exploratory drilling by British Columbia-based Otis Gold Corporation could affect groundwater and possibly fish.

The company’s Kilgore Project covers about 19 square miles (50 square kilometers) on Forest Service land and land managed by the state of Idaho in Clark County about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of Idaho Falls."

Keith Ridler reports for the Associated Press December 19, 2019.