"Montana Supreme Court sides with DEQ, Tintina, in dispute over central Montana copper mine," 26 February 2024

The Montana Supreme Court... issued a decision that brings a central Montana copper mine one step closer to operation.

In a 5-2 decision, the justices wrote that the Montana Department of Environmental Quality made a “reasoned decision” when it issued a permit to Tintina Montana Incorporated (now Sandfire Resources America) to extract approximately 14 million tons of copper from a mine in Meagher County. ...

The justices ordered a lower court to reinstate a permit it had vacated for the Black Butte project located along a tributary of the Smith River...

Montana Trout Unlimited, Montana Environmental Information Center, American Rivers and Earthworks had challenged DEQ’s decision to issue a permit, arguing that Montana regulators shouldn’t treat the Black Butte project as a “guinea pig” for a mining design that’s untested in the state and that the mining operations could impair water quality in Sheep Creek and the Smith River. ...

In an emailed statement, Sandfire Resources CEO Lincoln Greenidge thanked the court.

“Today’s victory in the Montana Supreme Court is a validation of the thoughtful and deliberate efforts of the Sandfire America team to design a world-class, environmentally safe mining project from the beginning,” Greenidge said. “Now, we look forward to progressing the project in a safe, responsible and sustainable manner.” 

DEQ did not provide a comment to Montana Free Press Monday.