Earlier this week, on Monday February 26, the Montana Supreme Court reversed a district court decision, allowing a proposed 1,888-acre copper mine to move forward. The Black Butte Mine, proposed by Tintina, a small Canadian mining startup, is a proposed underground copper mine located near White Sulphur Springs and Sheep Creek, a headwater tributary of the renowned Smith River. This mine has long been opposed by fishing and environmental communities concerned about the potential impacts on the Smith’s water quality, ecosystem, and blue ribbon fisheries.
“This is another sad example of Montana’s lenient mining and permitting laws allowing for the development of a large-scale, high-risk mine to be built without proper regard for the other values of a place, including its water quality, quantity, fishery, wildlife, recreational opportunities and cultural heritage,” said Montana Trout Unlimited’s Executive Director David Brooks.
“Fortunately, our fight to protect the Smith is not over. We will continue to pursue our coalition’s claims of illegal water use by the mine, as well as moving forward with our effort to protect the surrounding public lands from the perils of mining.”
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The issues at the MT Supreme Court were whether the Montana Department of Environmental Quality correctly applied state laws in the permitting process to review Tintina’s safety measures. The Supreme Court disagreed with the lower court’s judgement, adding “The agency’s decision was ‘scientifically driven,’ informed by ‘substantial agency expertise,’ and is entitled to considerable deference.”
Even so, this is a blow to those who hold clean, healthy, productive ecosystem dearly. Regularly, attracting thousands of applicants annually, the Smith River is one of those bucket-list trips for so many because of its remote, natural beauty (well, and great fishing). This mine and the byproducts may have disastrous impacts on the Smith’s immense cultural and natural value. As Brooks alluded to, Montana TU is not throwing in the towel. The group has an Action Alert to remove public lands in the Smith River region from future mining development. Click HERE to learn more and to protect this incredible part of Montana Heritage.
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Last Updated on March 1, 2024 by Will Poston
