Environmental Law

Judge OKs Christo's 6-mile, $50M 'Over the River' art project as legal battle continues

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Finding that a 1,700-page federal environmental review put together by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management adequately considered the environmental risks and planned mitigation measures, a Colorado judge on Thursday gave Christo’s proposed six-mile, $50 million project to drape the Arkansas River with shimmering fabric a green light.

However, the famous artist still faces a legal battle concerning the Over the River project, which he and his late wife began working on in the early 1990s. A federal case—also brought by a group known as Rags Over the Arkansas River—is ongoing. And the group may also appeal Denver District Judge Robert McGahey’s ruling this week that Colorado State Parks adequately considered the project’s environmental impact before agreeing in 2011 to allow Christo to proceed with it at the Arkansas River Headwaters Recreation Area, the Denver Post reports.

See also:

ABAJournal.com: “Citing Environmental Concerns, Denver Law Clinic Helps Sue to Stop Christo ‘Over the River’ Project”

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