Stricter permit needed for Rock Creek Mine

While the cause du jour has been the gold and copper mine in Bristol Bay, there is a large scale mine project in Montana that is also a serious threat to a delicate ecosystem.

The Rock Creek Mine can’t use a general water discharge permit to build its access roads because those roads would threaten a population of bull trout in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness, according to the Montana Supreme Court.

A four-justice majority ruled this week that Revett Silver Co. needs a more site-specific permit with greater public review before it starts a five-year effort to develop its copper and silver mine north of Noxon.

LINK (via: The Missoulian)