Snapshot: In June 2020, a coalition of environmental groups, including Montana Trout Unlimited, Montana Environmental Information Center, American Rivers, and Earthworks, filed a lawsuit against the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Tintina Montana Incorporated (now Sandfire Resources America) in a Montana district court, USA. The lawsuit challenged DEQ’s decision to issue a permit for the Black Butte copper mine in Meagher County, arguing that the agency failed to adequately consider the potential environmental impacts, particularly on water quality in Sheep Creek and the Smith River. The plaintiffs contended that the mine's tailings management and water treatment plans were insufficiently tested and posed significant risks to the local ecosystem. In 2022, the District Court agreed with the plaintiffs and ordered DEQ to revoke the permit but allowed the company to complete the project's Phase I construction while the parties pursued an appeal of the order. In 2024, the Montana Supreme Court ruled that the project could go ahead and ordered the lower court to reinstate the permit. The case is closed.

• Complaint, 4 June 2020
• Supreme court of the State of Montana decision reinstating the permit, 26 Feb 2024