Environmental groups are claiming victory after a federal judge in Missoula overturned government approvals for the proposed Montanore Mine on the edge of the Cabinet Mountains near Libby.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Donald Molloy ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service had violated federal law by approving the construction of the proposed copper and silver mine underneath the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness.
Molloy’s ruling states that the federal agencies violated sections of the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act when in 2016 when they authorized the mine’s development.
Environmental groups, including Save Our Cabinets, Earthworks and Defenders of Wildlife, which joined forces and sued the federal government over the approved permitting, have long worried that the Montanore Mine would drain wilderness streams and negatively impact wildlife in the area.
“Yesterday’s ruling underscores how wrong it is to site major industrial facilities on the doorstep of public wilderness lands that provide irreplaceable habitat for imperiled wildlife,” said Earthjustice lawyer Katherine O’Brien, who represented the three groups in challenging the government.
But the mine’s owners, Hecla Mining Company, have vowed to push forward and work with federal agencies to get Montanore approved again.
“We’re disappointed but not deterred by the court’s ruling,” said Hecla spokesperson Luke Russell. “We’re going to roll up our sleeves and get this mine approved.”
Russell notes that while the federal judge overturned parts of the approval, he reaffirmed others. Russell saw it as a sign that it would be possible to work with federal agencies to again get the green light to develop.
But Karen Knudsen, executive director of the Clark Fork Coalition, said the ruling sends a strong message to the developer, as well as to the federal agencies.
“This decision sends an important signal to permitting agencies and to Hecla Mining Co. that you need to get it right when it comes to water,” she said. “Permanently drying up pristine wilderness streams is not getting it right, and we’re glad that the court agreed.”
The Montanore Mine was first proposed in the 1980s and has been owned by a number of companies, most recently Mines Management. Hecla, which also owns the nearby Rock Creek Project, purchased Mines Management in 2016 and has vowed to develop both mines.
Mining officials say the Montanore Mine could produce 7 million ounces of silver and 60 million pounds of copper annually and employ about 350 people. Proponents have said it would be a boon to Lincoln County’s struggling economy.