The Legal Fight Has Begun

This petition has been quiet because we have been trying any non-aggressive way we can think of to persuade people to do the right thing about the bats and the mining, The stipulations we thought we were getting and that we outlined in the update in December have been thrown out by Franklin County. We now have no choice but to sue Franklin County because they are not requiring an Environmental Impact study or a Traffic Safety study for a mining project that will affect the bats and our community for 20-30 years. We are up against big business with deep pockets. Due to the local government corruption surrounding this case, we have had to hire a lawyer from St. Louis City to try our case. We have an appeal hearing, probably in May, which we strongly suspect is no more than an exercise in futility. After the appeal is denied, we will then take the case to Franklin County Circuit court where we feel that we will also not get a fair shake due to the corruption in the county. After that appeal fails, we will be able to appeal to the Missouri Court of Appeals in St. Louis, where we have the best chance of stopping this mining or at least getting some stringent stipulations attached to the project that will protect the community and the bats. Cost for the law firm will be a $5,000 retainer and possibly up to $25,000 when it is all said and done. Any donations toward these legal costs would be greatly appreciated. We have set up a PayPal link paypal.me/stopthemeramecmine or checks can be mailed to Citizens for the Preservation of the Meramec River (CPMR) at 783 Lost Hill Lake Rd. St. Clair, MO 63077. I will keep you posted as things progress. Thank you for caring about the environment and the amazing animals that share this planet with us.