The Stibnite Gold Project in Valley County said it received final federal approval last Friday, but the mining venture is still facing legal challenges before breaking ground.
A coalition of local nonprofits is petitioning the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.
Critics like John Robison of the Idaho Conservation League say the mining project’s air quality and wastewater discharge permits don’t follow state and federal law.
“We all want metals and minerals for our quality of life. And we all want clean water. And the project, as proposed by Perpetua, doesn't strike the balance that Idahoans need,” said Robison.
The Nez Perce Tribe is filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service, disputing the project approval. They say the mining site, which rests on tribal lands, would create chemical pollution that would cause “irreversible impacts to the environment.”
At a ribbon cutting ceremony at the mining site on Friday, Gov. Brad Little spoke in support of the “hundreds of good-paying jobs” he said the project would create.
Little was joined by representatives from the U.S. Army and the Department of Agriculture. They say the mine will be an important source of the critical mineral antimony, which is used to make solar panels and semiconductors.
But Perpetua said it also aims to extract about 14 tons of gold per year during the first few years of the project. That gold mining will make up 96% of the profits.
