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U.S. NEWS Friday 4 august 2023

Pediatricians' group reaffirms support for gender-affirming care

amid growing state restrictions

Associated Press banning gender-affirming
(AP) - Pediatricians' group medical care for transgen-
reaffirms support for gen- der minors, and most of
der-affirming care amid those states face lawsuits. A
growing state restrictions federal judge struck down
The American Academy Arkansas’ ban as unconsti-
of Pediatrics reaffirmed tutional, and federal judges
its support for gender-af- have temporarily blocked
firming medical care for bans in Alabama and Indi-
transgender children on ana. The judge who struck
Thursday, even as the treat- down Arkansas' ban cited
ments face a growing push the position of the groups
for bans and restrictions in his ruling against the ban.
from Republican lawmak- Arkansas has appealed the
ers across the U.S. judge's decision.
The board of directors for People opposed to such
the group, which repre- treatments for children ar-
sents 67,000 pediatricians, gue they are too young to
unanimously voted to re- make such decisions about
affirm its 2018 position on their futures.
the treatments. The board Every major medical group,
also voted to provide ad- including the academy
ditional documents to sup- and the American Medical
port pediatricians, includ- Glenda Starke wears a transgender flag as a counter protest during a rally in favor of a ban on Association, has opposed
ing clinical and technical gender-affirming health care legislation, March 20, 2023, at the Missouri Statehouse in Jefferson the bans and has said the
reports, and to conduct an City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File) treatments are safe if ad-
external review of research ministered properly.
regarding the care. accessing evidence-based released by the group, call- provide the best and most The academy and the
“The additional recom- health care for young ing the restrictions enacted transparent process pos- AMA support allowing chil-
mendations also reflect the people who need it,” Mark by states “unprecedented sible,” he said. dren to seek the medical
fact that the board is con- Del Monte, the academy's government intrusion.” At least 21 states have now care, but they don't offer
cerned about restrictions to CEO, said in a statement “We therefore need to enacted laws restricting or age-specific guidance.q

Minnesota Supreme Court rules against disputed mine, says state

pollution officials hid EPA warnings

By Summer Ballentine recting the state agency to cade, despite public criti-
Associated Press reconsider the permits. cism and other setbacks.
UNDATED (AP) — The Min- Justices found that state The U.S. Army Corps of En-
nesota Supreme Court on regulators not only ignored gineers in June revoked a
Wednesday ruled that the concerns from the federal critical water quality per-
state’s Pollution Control Environmental Protection mit for the project. The
Agency improperly grant- Agency about the north- Corps said the permit did
ed permits to a fiercely eastern Minnesota mine, not comply with the water
contested copper-nickel but attempted to conceal quality standards set by the
mine and concealed en- EPA warnings from the pub- Fond du Lac Band of Lake
vironmental concerns lic. The Minnesota Pollution Superior Chippewa, whose
about the project, which Control Agency "and the reservation on the St. Louis
critics say threatens to pol- EPA sought to avoid pub- River is downstream from
lute Lake Superior and hurt lic scrutiny and to hide the the mine and processing
tribal lands. The proposed risk of illegal water pollution plant sites.
mining project, a 50-50 joint from the public eye,” Jus- Environmentalists have op- A former iron ore processing plant near Hoyt Lakes, Minn., that
venture with PolyMet Min- tice Anne McKeig wrote in posed the mine for fear it would become part of a proposed PolyMet copper-nickel
ing and Teck Resources, a concurring opinion. could pollute pristine wa- mine, is pictured on Feb. 10, 2016.
was renamed NewRange In a statement, NewRange ters and destroy habitat for (AP Photo/Jim Mone, File)
Copper Nickel in February said it's "confident that the gray wolves and Canada nickel and precious metals ed PolyMet mining permits
but is still widely known as additional proceedings will lynx. The project would be in northeastern Minnesota in 2018.
PolyMet. It seeks to be Min- confirm the project pro- located near tributaries are locked up in sulfide Court discoveries from that
nesota’s first copper-nickel tects water quality for all, feeding the St. Louis River, minerals that can leach lawsuit and open-records
mine, but it has long been and welcomes working 175 river miles upstream sulfuric acid and other pol- requests by Minnesota-
stalled by court and regu- with stakeholders on the from Lake Superior. lutants when exposed to air based nonprofit Water-
latory setbacks. permit.” Critics also cite the risks of and water. Legacy unearthed docu-
The Minnesota Supreme PolyMet has been trying acid mine drainage and The latest setback comes ments showing that state
Court's 6-0 ruling against to complete the open- concerns about the safety after environmental groups regulators had pressured
the state’s Pollution Control pit mine near Babbitt and of the dam for its tailings ba- and the Fond du Lac Band the EPA to withhold its con-
Agency once again derails processing plant near Hoyt sin. The vast but untapped of Lake Superior Chippewa cerns about the mine from
the long-sought project, di- Lakes for more than a de- reserves of buried copper, sued when the state grant- public comments.q