King County Superior Court Judge Palmer Robinson on Thursday denied Preserve Our Islands’ request for an injunction to halt Glacier Northwest’s work on its barge-loading pier off the shores of Maury Island.

In a brief hearing, Robinson, according to a news release issued by Glacier, said “she could not determine that the project opponents would prevail in their lawsuit challenging a lease” Glacier received on Dec. 2 to state-owned aquatic lands.

Amy Carey, who heads Preserve Our Islands, said the organization never thought it could prevail in state court, since the group’s argument centers on the dock’s impact on killer whales, protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.

“The state court was not where we expected to find the relief we were looking for,” she said. “We’re continuing to move forward on a stop-work order to protect the orcas that are there right now.”