Today I was pleased to learn from State Attorney General Letitia James that she has decided not to seek leave to appeal the Sand Land decision rendered by the Appellate Division this past May. In that decision, the Court ruled that the State DEC had violated State environmental law by processing and granting a permit for the expansion of the Sand Land mine.

This is a major victory for water quality and the environment. I thank the Attorney General for her courageous and thoughtful decision to put the weight of her office behind the public interest and not the polluter.

I now call upon the State DEC to immediately close Sand Land. Without a valid permit, there is no legal basis for their continued operation in violation of the Appellate Division decision.