The lucrative colossal Colosseum Mine in California’s Mojave Desert was rocked Monday by a court order halting its gold- and rare-earth-mineral operations.
The bitter court battle over the controversial historic site — which President Trump hoped would help reduce US dependence on foreign sources of such minerals — pitted its owners and the administration against conservationists who argued its explorations were causing environmental harm.
“This decision is not supported by the facts or the legal precedent and we were certainly hoping for an even handed look at the actual law, but that’s not what we got,” Stephen Baghdadi, CEO of mine owner Dateline Resources, told the California Post.
Baghdadi said he was “shocked’’ that the judge sided with the National Parks Conservation Association, which sued the Trump administration over the Mojave National Preserve site in April.
“President Trump promised to unleash rare earth in California, in his first 100 days he delivered for all Americans,” he added. “We look forward to working with the White House, Department of Interior, Department of Justice and others to keep the Colosseum moving forward, as the law is clearly on our side.”
The White House had allowed Dateline to resume its operations at the mine, which conservationists said would cause irreparable harm while claiming the move needed updated approval from the National Park Service.
The Department of Justice argued that the mine’s operating plan was approved by the Bureau of Land Management in 1985, before the establishment of the Mojave National Preserve under the 1994 California Desert Protection Act — giving Dateline “valid existing rights” and allowing it to legally continue activities.
But US District Judge Christina Snyder rejected that interpretation, saying Dateline needs to get an updated approval from the NPS if it wants to continue to operate inside the preserve.
“The decision to allow Colosseum Rare Metals to operate within Mojave National Preserve without an approval by NPS is contrary to law,” Snyder wrote in her decision.
The preliminary injunction was a setback for Trump, who has sought to reduce America’s reliance on China for rare-earth minerals.
“You had people that were just stopping it. They were using the environment to stop all of these things,” Trump said Friday of the Colisseum during a broader roundtable on American mining.
Monday’s decision requires Dateline to halt operations immediately and gives the company up to 10 weeks to safely secure the site and demobilize its drill rigs, equipment and personnel.
The injunction will remain in effect while the lawsuit proceeds unless Dateline obtains the required NPS authorization or successfully challenges the order.
