Environmentalists applaud decision
Conservation groups are applauding an Army Corps of Engineers decision to suspend the Clean Water Act permit for Villages at Vigneto, the 28,000-home development planned in Benson.
In a letter dated July 20, the Notice of Permit Suspension orders Vigneto’s developer to “stop activities previously authorized by the suspended permit” pending consultation between the Corps and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The consultation will address the Vigneto project’s impacts on protected and endangered wildlife species identified in the area, as well as their critical habitats.
“The Corps has determined that it is in the public interest to suspend the permit while consultation with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and the Corps’ permit reevaluation are pending,” the letter states. “This suspension is effective immediately.”
