BUTTE – The fight over a logging project near Butte may finally be over.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has dismissed the suit; and environmental groups say they won’t pursue the matter before the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Native Ecosystems Council, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, and Wildwest Institute sought to stop the logging of beetle-killed trees on 2,600 acres, in and around the Basin Creek watershed south of Butte.
They argued it would be a detriment to wildlife and the environment.
Michael Garrity, of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies, says the groups won’t pursue the matter, as the project is nearly finished.
The Basin Creek area is part of the Butte municipal watershed, and the city-county was a defendant. Butte-Silver Bow Chief Executive Paul Babb applauded the court’s decision, which was issued Friday.