JUNEAU — A federal judge has agreed to temporarily halt proceedings in a lawsuit brought against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by the group behind the proposed Pebble Mine project.
U.S. District Judge H. Russel Holland on Wednesday agreed with the parties’ request to halt proceedings until March 20, to allow them time to try to resolve the case.
By March 20, the parties are to file with the court a schedule for resolving the case, if possible.
The Pebble Limited Partnership has alleged that EPA worked with mine critics with a predetermined goal to block the project.
Attorneys for the EPA have called the lawsuit an effort to undermine an agency proposal to protect parts of the Bristol Bay region from development
In 2014, Holland blocked the EPA from conducting work related to a process that could restrict or prohibit development of the mine, pending resolution of the lawsuit. Holland says that order remains in effect until further notice.
