New Mexico Supreme Court to review 'copper rule'
New Mexico Supreme Court to review 'copper rule'
By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
Associated Press
July 14, 2015
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Environment Department on Tuesday said the future of mining in the state will be hanging in the balance as New Mexico's highest court reviews regulations that govern groundwater pollution by copper mines.
The court's decision to take the case was made public Tuesday, almost a month after Attorney General Hector Balderas and environmentalists filed petitions asking the court to weigh in.
The rules were initially approved by state water regulators in September 2013. Opponents argued that the regulations violated the state Water Quality Control Act in addition to giving mining companies too much leeway to pollute groundwater.
The Environment Department has argued that the regulations are among the most stringent of any copper-producing state in the West and strike a balance between protecting water and allowing for economic development.
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