Work on the $1.6 billion Toyota-Mazda plant in north Alabama, United States, is currently on hold due to concerns over a rare fish species that lives in Limestone County.
In a statement, the company said it has temporarily suspended construction on the mega project to confirm the pygmy sunfish will be protected and won’t be negatively impacted by the plant.
According to WAFF, a lawsuit was filed in June by the Center for Biological Diversity in connection with plans for the plant, which is expected to create thousands of jobs. Citing the Endangered Species Act, the lawsuit claimed the pygmy sunfish would be endangered by construction of the plant.
Toyota said on Thursday it is aware of the CBD’s concerns and pledged to make sure necessary protections are in place.
Here is the full statement from Toyota:
“We are aware of the Center for Biological Diversity’s concerns regarding the sunfish. Throughout the planning and design of this project we continue to work closely with US Fish and Wildlife Service, the City of Huntsville and our joint venture partner, Mazda, to ensure that the necessary protections are in place.Mazda and Toyota continue to make environmental preservation a priority and we are committed to developing the property sustainability. We have temporarily suspended construction to allow for additional technical surveys to be completed and confirm that the sunfish will be protected. We anticipate that this will be a short-term suspension and that construction will resume shortly with minimal disruption.”
2018 American City Business Journals