The U.S. Forest Service has granted a mining company conditional approval to begin building an open-pit gold and antimony mine in Idaho despite challenges from tribal members and environmental activists who say the underlying review is flawed.
The Forest Service has greenlit the construction of Perpetua Resources’ Stibnite Gold Project, which satisfies a so-called record of decision released in January, the company said Friday. Construction can begin once the company provides joint financial assurance bonding, according to Perpetua.
Jon Cherry, Perpetua’s president and CEO, said the approval arrives after eight years of “extensive permitting review,” and the stibnite mine will serve as the nation’s first source of antimony, a critical ingredient in munitions and advanced defense systems, while cleaning up legacy pollution at the site.
“A united vision to produce critical resources urgently needed for national security and to restore an abandoned site, along with the feedback from our communities, have guided us to this monumental milestone,” said Cherry.
