Montana Supreme Court Clears the Way for Black Butte Copper Mine

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Sandfire Resources America announced on Monday that the Montana Supreme Court ruled 5-2 to ‘completely reinstate Tintina Montana Incorporated’s mine operating permit for the Black Butte Copper Project near White Sulphur Springs'.

KGVO News spoke with Nancy Schlepp, Vice President of Communications and Government Relations for Tintina Montana, a Sandfire Resource America Company about the Supreme Court decision that came down on Monday.

Black Butte Copper Mine can go Forward after Supreme Court Decision

“Today the Montana Supreme Court did rule in our favor in a 5-2 decision where the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and our company Tintina Montana, who were co-named in the suit, won on all counts of a case, having the mine operating permit completely reinstated,” began Schlepp.

To simplify the very complicated decision, Schlepp said there were six issues that the court looked at before its decision.

The Court Looked at Six Different Areas of Concern in the Lawsuit

“There were six very narrow issues that the Montana Supreme Court looked at,” she said. “With the scientific information from the Montana DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) and the work that we had done and said that we had done it right and we had met the letter of the law and it (the mine) should go forward.”

Read More: Montana Supreme Court Justice Slammed for Violent Rhetoric

The Company has Created a Non-Profit to Oversee the Mine

For those concerned about possible pollution of waters in the area, Schlepp said the company has helped to create a non-profit to provide oversight of the mine.

“We have helped create and now it's an independent 501 C 3, The Meagher County Stewardship Council which is an oversight for us and one of the things we've done with them is sign an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) that this will never be an open pit mine; it will always be an underground mine in this entire district, so we’re absolutely committed to doing it right from the beginning.”

Schlepp said the mine is located 17 miles north of White Sulphur Springs.