Dive Brief:
A three-judge federal appeals court panel will soon decide if local activists arguments have enough merit to stop the beleaguered 16-mile Purple Line light rail project in Maryland from moving forward, according to The Washington Post.
Friends of the Capital Crescent Trail and two individuals claim the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated the Clean Water Act when it issued permits allowing the Maryland Transit Administration Line to discharge dredged and fill material into local wetlands and other bodies of water. The FCCT also claims that the Army Corps did not consider less-damaging alternatives for the project, including the group s proposal that the light-rail project be replaced with bus service.