The Colosseum Mine in California’s Mojave Desert has been ordered to stop gold and rare-earth operations after a federal judge sided with conservationists in a dispute over the historic site. The ruling is a sharp setback for Dateline Resources, the mine’s owner, and for President Trump’s effort to boost domestic mineral production and cut US reliance on foreign suppliers.
Dateline chief executive Stephen Baghdadi said he was stunned by the outcome and argued the court should have taken a neutral look at the law. “I just was hoping for sort of an even-handed look at the actual law, but it seems to be an ideologically driven decision,” he told the California Post. He also said he was “shocked” that the judge ruled in favor of the National Parks Conservation Association, which filed suit in April over the Mojave National Preserve site.
The White House had allowed Dateline to restart work at the mine. Conservationists fought that move, saying the activity would cause irreparable environmental damage and that the operation needed fresh approval from the National Park Service. The Justice Department countered that the mine’s operating plan had already been approved by the Bureau of Land Management in 1985, before the Mojave National Preserve was created under the 1994 California Desert Protection Act. On that basis, the government said Dateline held “valid existing rights” and could continue operating legally.
US District Judge Christina Snyder rejected that argument. In her order, she said Dateline must obtain updated approval from the National Park Service if it wants to keep working inside the preserve. “The decision to allow Colosseum Rare Metals to operate within Mojave National Preserve without an approval by NPS is contrary to law,” Snyder wrote. The preliminary injunction means the company must stop immediately while the case continues.
