A federal judge has thrown out a federal permit for the state’s shellfish industry, saying the Army Corps of Engineers failed to give enough environmental scrutiny to aquaculture farms.
U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik found federal regulators did not comply with the Clean Water and National Environmental Policy acts in granting a general permit in 2017 that authorizes most of the state’s shellfish operations.
What happens next is unclear.
Lasnik, in a ruling released Friday, wrote that he has the power to vacate the permit outright. But to avoid the disruption of the industry, he left open the option of continuing current operations while the Army Corps “performs an adequate analysis to correct its unlawful actions.”
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