The Sunnyside Drilling Project, proposed by Regal Resources, a Canadian company, was given the go-ahead by two federal agencies back in September. This astonished local environmentalists as the area is rich in wildlife and there are several endangered species who live or pass through the area.
Because of their concern, Patagonia Area Resource Alliance (PARA) and Defenders of Wildlife filed a lawsuit claiming the federal agencies’ approvals violated environmental laws and posed a threat to endangered species and the safety of drinking water for local residents.
Then came the unexpected news from District Ranger Mark Ruggiero that he was withdrawing his Decision Memorandum and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was withdrawing its letter of agreement. Ruggiero’s official letter, addressed to “Interested Parties” did not indicate what had caused this change, but it did indicate that there would be consultation among the departments and that a new decision would be forthcoming.
According to Steve Spangle of U.S. Fish and Wildlife, under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, a federal agency has to complete a review for each species. In this case, he said, “a new species came in.” This meant that a review was required. Spangle seemed to think the matter would be cleared up quickly. He said the lawsuit by PARA and Defenders of Wildlife did not bear on the decision to withdraw the approval.
PARA’s Wendy Russell said she is pretty sure that the Sunnyside Project will be given the green light again in which case the lawsuit will go forward.