Members and leaders of the Western Shoshone Nation of Nevada filed suit against the Interior Department for approving one of the largest open-pit gold mines in the country.

The plaintiffs say the Cortez Hills project will prevent them from using the site for religious and ceremonial purposes. They say Interior has failed to analyze the environmental impacts of the mine.

Barrick Gold Corporation of Canada plans to mine for gold on federal and private land in an area known as Mount Tenabo. Reports from the Bureau of Land Management have recognized the importance of the site to the Western Shoshone, according to the plaintiffs.

The plaintiffs include the South Fork Band Council of Western Shoshone, the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, the Western Shoshone Defense Project and Great Basin Resource Watch.

Get the Story:
Shoshone tribe files suit to stop gold mine (The Reno Gazette-Journal 11/23)