page_title: Coeur Alaska, Inc. v. Southeast Alaska Conservation Council
section_title: Subsequent developments
hierarchical_section_title: Coeur Alaska, Inc. v. Southeast Alaska Conservation Council / Subsequent developments
caption_attribution_description: English: The Kensington Mine's Comet (west) portal is seen from the air Friday, May 22, 2015 north of Berners Bay, Alaska. (James Brooks photo)
context_page_description: Coeur Alaska, Inc. v. Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, 557 U.S. 261, is a United States Supreme Court case that was decided in favor of Coeur Alaska's permit to dump mine waste in a lake. The case addressed tailings from the Kensington mine, an underground mine located in Alaska. The gold mine had not operated since 1928, and Coeur Alaska obtained a permit in 2005 from the United States Army Corps of Engineers to dispose of up to 4.5 million tons of tailings in Lower Slate Lake, which is located in a National Forest.
  The suit was filed by three environmental non-governmental organizations and brought before the United States District Court for the District of Alaska who found in favor of Coeur Alaska. The District Court's decision was overturned by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals before being brought before the Supreme Court, who also found in favor of Coeur Alaska.
  The ruling was praised by the National Mining Association for the economic benefit it provided. Environmental groups criticised the decision for the impact it would have on Lower Slate Lake, and the opportunity for its use as a precedent in the future.
context_section_description: The decision was praised by the National Mining Association, which stated that it would "provide employment and greater economic certainty for all those involved in the project".  Alaska Governor Sarah Palin also welcomed the ruling, calling it a "green light for responsible resource development". The environmental groups that originally filed suit against Coeur Alaska were unhappy with the decision. Environmental groups stated that the proposed material includes aluminum, lead, and mercury (among other metals), and that discharging into Lower Slate Lake will have a detrimental effect on the lake and surrounding waters.  A representative from Earthjustice warned of the ruling being used as a precedent, allowing other companies to discharge pollutants into other rivers and lakes.   Following the court's decision share prices of Coeur d'Alene Mines rose over 5%.
  In March 2009 a bill, the Clean Water Protection Act, was introduced in Congress by Frank Pallone and Dave Reichert.  The Clean Water Protection Act would have changed the definition of "fill material" in the Clean Water Act.  Under the new definition "fill material" would have excluded mine waste.
caption: Aerial view of the Comet portal of the Kensington mine.
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