The Michigan-based Marquette County Road Commission filed a federal lawsuit last week against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA.) The lawsuit centers around a construction project on Marquette County Road that EPA blocked months ago.
While the commission has contacted the EPA multiple times in an effort to resume construction, the agency has turned them down on every occasion. The commission spent a great deal of money, estimated at nearly $8 million, trying to get the proper permits for their project, and ultimately, it would seem that all of that money has been wasted.
In the words of Sen. Tom Casperson (R), "It is incredible the amount of money that has been spent. It has been estimated to be almost eight million dollars spent on just preparing to get ready for the permit process. All that money was wasted knowing now that the EPA said right up front before the process started they were going to block it. That is incredible."
While waiting for the lawsuit filing to go through, the commission is raising money through Stand U.P., making a point to avoid using taxpayer dollars. Casperson believes that the EPA's decision to block the road is part of an effort to hamstring the local mining industry, something he claims they've also done in Alaska. The EPA has yet to respond to the lawsuit or Sen. Casperson's claims, and, as of the time of this writing, their perspective on the situation is unknown.
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