(December 6, 2023, 4:13 PM EST) -- SAN FRANCISCO — Suction dredge mining operations require a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit because the activity causes pollutants in the form of suspended bedrock and other materials to be discharged, a Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel found in affirming a trial court’s decision to grant summary judgment in favor of an environmental group that sued a man for performing the mining in an Idaho river without a permit....