HELENA — Montana officials say a new environmental analysis has found that a proposed copper mine would cause no harm to a river popular for its scenery and trout fishing.
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality released its draft environmental impact statement of the Black Butte Copper Project for public comment on Monday.
The proposed copper mine on 1,888 acres of private land outside White Sulphur Springs would extract 15.3 million tons of rock over 15 years.
Conservation groups worry about potential pollution into a tributary of the Smith River, which is so popular with boaters that a lottery is held each year to issue permits.
DEQ Director Shaun McGrath says environmental officials studied the mine’s potential effects to the river. He says the analysis found no impacts to water quality, air quality or aquatic life.