The Wisconsin Supreme Court won’t hear a Georgia company’s request to reinstate a key permit to fill wetlands as part of a plan to build a $75 million frac sand operation in Monroe County, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.
The state’s high court denied the company’s petition to reconsider lower court rulings on Wednesday. Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley dissented in the one-page decision.
In December, a state appeals court panel rejected Atlanta-based Meteor Timber’s request to reinstate a permit to fill 16 acres of wetlands. The company sought the permit as part of plans to build a sand processing and rail loading facility.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued the permit in 2017 under former Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s administration despite objections from agency staff due to rare forested wetlands at the site.
“We are disappointed in the Court’s decision,” John Behling, the company’s local counsel, said in a statement. “The project creates jobs, opportunities and most importantly, more wetlands. The mine site is permitted, and we are reviewing our options. Meteor Timber remains committed to economic development in Wisconsin.”
Meteor Timber planned to preserve more than 600 acres of wetlands as part of the proposed frac sand operation, which was anticipated to create 100 jobs. But the operation faced fierce opposition from environmental groups and the Ho-Chunk Nation, which challenged the permit issued by the DNR.