By Ian James | Arizona Republic
The federal government has suspended a permit for a development that would bring 28,000 homes to the Arizona desert near Benson and the San Pedro River.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decided to suspend the permit two weeks after conservation groups sued in federal court arguing the government failed to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the environmental impacts.
“We’re taking this as a pretty large victory in the case,” said Nicole Gillett, a conservation advocate with the Tucson Audubon Society, which is among the groups suing the agency. “The most important thing that the Corps needs to do is to really take a step back and analyze the entire scope of the project.”
