Conservationists have long worked to protect the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness in northwest Montana from one of the world’s largest proposed copper and silver mines. This Wilderness of high peaks and clear lakes is home to a small population of threatened grizzly bears, as well as threatened Canada lynx and bull trout. The water from its streams is some of the cleanest in the country.
Mining is fundamentally incompatible with wilderness preservation. The proposed Montanore mine would dry up streams and would destroy critical habitat for lynx, bull trout, and grizzly bears. The Forest Service (FS) has failed to adequately address the mine’s potential impacts to the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness or the effects of climate change paired with mining on wildlife and water availability. The Montanore mine has a long, complicated history, with the courts having several times rejected its approval by the Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife Service because it would violate multiple laws including the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, the National Forest Management Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act.
The FS has released a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) for the Evaluation (or Exploration) Phase of the mine and is currently accepting public comments. Comments are due August 8.
The mine currently has no permit to operate or begin construction, so we need you to take action to ensure that this mine in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness is never built! | |
