An example of an interest group using the courts to impact public policy.
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Lawsuit #1:
Lawsuit Protects Floridians, 50,000+ Acres From Phosphate Strip Mining
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— Four conservation organizations sued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Fish and Wildlife Service today for authorizing 50,000 acres of phosphate strip mining that would irreversibly destroy native plant and animal habitat in central Florida.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court, aims to prevent mining that would threaten water quality and quantity by obliterating wetlands and habitat for animals already clinging to survival. Those include the eastern indigo snake, crested caracara and Florida panther. The project would also exacerbate Florida's growing phosphogypsum crisis.
“Florida has already lost so much to the phosphate industry — hundreds of thousands of acres of natural landscape and habitat, unadulterated freshwater and healthy biodiversity,” said Jaclyn Lopez, Florida director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “This newest proposal is the most foolhardy yet, calling for the utter destruction of an additional 50,000 acres of Florida habitat and creation of millions of tons of radioactive hazardous waste that will be stored in the state.”
