Montana Court Strikes Down Water Pollution Permit for Montanore Mine, Protecting Clean Water and Native Fish

Montana’s Cabinet Mountains Wilderness is one of the nation’s original wilderness areas. Helena, M.T. — A Montana District Court judge has invalidated the water permit for the Montanore Mine , a proposed silver-copper mine that would have bored beneath the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness in Montana. The permit issued by Montana’s Department of Environmental Quality would have allowed Hecla Mining Company and its subsidiary, Montanore Minerals Corporation, to discharge mine wastewater and contaminated storm water into multiple streams that traverse public lands in the Cabinet Mountains and provide irreplaceable habitat for threatened bull trout. “Hecla’s proposal to mine under the Cabinet Mountains has always been a bad idea for Montana. This ruling protects clean water on public lands that belong to all of us,” said Earthjustice attorney Katherine O’Brien . “The decision from the court also sends a strong message that our state environmental agency cannot cut corners when it comes to permitting industrial pollution in our streams.” The court’s ruling, issued in response to a lawsuit filed by Earthjustice on behalf of Montana Environmental Information Center, Save Our Cabinets, and Earthworks, concluded that Montana’s Department of Environmental Quality violated multiple provisions of the federal Clean Water Act and Montana […]

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