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Bitterroot National Forest: 'We do recognize the public concern' on Sheep Creek – Daily Montanan [1]

['Keila Szpaller', 'More From Author', '- February']

Date: 2024-02-06  

Commercial mining hasn’t taken place in the Bitterroot National Forest for decades, according to a ranger.

“Previous mining activity in the Bitterroot includes the Skalkaho Vermiculite Deposit in the Sapphire Mountains east of Hamilton,” said Ranger Dan Pliley of the West Fork District.

“The most recent activity was an EIS (environmental impact statement) approved in 1993, but the mine never went into operation and has since been reclaimed.”

Last week, the Center for Biological Diversity and 18 other conservation groups sent a letter to Pliley requesting transparency and public involvement on an expected mining proposal at Sheep Creek.

The groups said mining in the area could harm wildlife, wilderness and the economy, and it could violate federal laws protecting wildlife, water and public participation, including the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.

“The Sheep Creek Mine threatens a crucial waterway in the Bitterroot Valley and would be a disaster for the clean water and world-class trout habitat the valley’s economy depends on,” said Adam Rissien, rewilding manager with WildEarth Guardians, in a statement from the Center for Biological Diversity.

“We’ll fight to save the irreplaceable Bitterroot River from the damage and destruction that will undoubtedly result if the Sheep Creek Mine proceeds.”

A mine exploration company spokesperson said the company, U.S. Critical Materials, still planned to submit an operations plan that would involve drilling and hoped the work to uncover “rare earths,” used in electronics such as iPhones, could begin in 2024.

Tuesday, Pliley said he had not yet seen a plan of operation from the company, although one is expected. He also said the Forest Service already has been hearing from citizens about the project.

“We do recognize the public concern over this proposal, or over this assumed proposal,” Pliley said.

Because an operation plan will likely involve “surface disturbance,” he said, he anticipates it will go through the National Environmental Policy Act process.

“So that would automatically trigger public involvement,” Pliley said.

However, he also said the U.S. Forest Service has not made any decisions about whether it would grant an exemption from an environmental review — a “categorical exclusion.”

“It just depends on what they propose,” Pliley said.

He said the Forest Service needs to have a proposal in hand in order to assess its own timelines and levels of analyses. He said the Forest Service had not received the anticipated plan of operation or an intent for exploration.

“We want to be fully transparent and inclusive,” Pliley said. “We understand that this is where local residents live and recreate, and we want to be sensitive to their concerns and … effectively manage our landscape.”

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[1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2024/02/06/bitterroot-national-forest-we-do-recognize-the-public-concern-on-sheep-creek/

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