Federal Court Blocks Land Sale Near Polluted Anaconda Copper Mine Site
A federal court has temporarily blocked the sale of over 2,000 acres of public land near the Anaconda Copper Mine site in Lyon County, Nevada, to the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARC). The Bureau of Land Management had approved the sale, which included mineral rights, but several environmental groups sued to prevent it. The court ruled that the lawsuit raised serious questions about compliance with federal land disposal requirements and whether the Bureau of Land Management failed to adequately assess the impact of future mining. The Anaconda Copper Mine has a history of environmental contamination, and the sale was intended to facilitate clean-up efforts. However, the court found that the sale could cause irreparable harm and that public ownership has been the status quo for decades. 
