The Biden Administration awarded nearly $25 million on Monday to a company looking to re-open a mine near McCall.
The U.S. Department of Defense announced it’s giving Perpetua Resources the first “Critical Minerals Award” from Congress’s Ukraine aid package. The company, with headquarters in Boise, is seeking approval to resume mining gold and antimony in the Stibnite site near Yellow Pine.
"It ensures the timely development of an American source of antimony trisulfide," said Halimah Najieb-Locke, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for industrial-based resilience.
The mineral, she continued, "is a critical component for ammunition, which is critical for our defense, generally, as well as for everything happening right now as Ukraine defends itself against the invasion.”
Stibnite produced antimony trisulfide for the U.S. during World War II and the Korean War, and the Department of Defense said it's the only domestic reserve of its kind that can meet its requirements.
In addition to helping with the manufacturing of small arms and missiles, the antimony could be used in the development of batteries.
Biden invoked the Defense Production Act this spring, in particular, to boost domestic sources of minerals needed for the renewable energy transition, such as lithium and cobalt.
Najieb-Locke said the Department expects to make more awards for critical mineral resources in the coming months, based on needs presented by the war in Ukraine.
The $24.8 million going to Perpetua will help it complete environmental studies, but the Department said this will not change the National Environmental Policy Act review process.
Environmental groups have expressed concerns about the project's potential impacts on water temperatures and fish.
Public comments on the project’s latest environmental impact statement are due Jan. 10. The company is hoping to start construction in 2024.
Find reporter Rachel Cohen on Twitter @racheld_cohen
Copyright 2022 Boise State Public Radio
