Midas Gold Stibnite Gold Project Update: January 2021
There are important new developments regarding the Stibnite Gold Project, proposed by Midas Gold Corporation in the headwaters of the South Fork Salmon River.
First, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) submitted comments (following the close of the formal public comment period) that highlighted both the significant issues with Midas Gold’s proposal and the insufficient analysis in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The EPA letter reaffirms concerns raised by conservation organizations and citizens regarding the Stibnite Gold Project; “Based on our review of the draft EIS, we continue to have significant concerns regarding potential impacts to water quality and aquatic resources.” (EPA).
Midas Gold continues to claim that their project will “Restore the Site”, referring to historic mining impacts and continuing issues with water quality from mining-related activities in the proposed project area. This narrative, as we learned in the DEIS, relies completely upon conducting water treatment into perpetuity at Stibnite, following a 20 year project lifecycle to extract gold, silver, and antimony from the riverbed and adjacent earth to the East Fork South Fork Salmon River. The EPA letter highlights that both Midas Gold’s proposal, and the DEIS document, fail to provide a sufficient plan or analysis to prove this theory, stating that “the effectiveness of the proposed water treatment processes is not meaningfully evaluated.” (EPA).
In addition, recent events regarding Midas Gold Corporation’s proposed Stibnite Gold Project deserve the attention of the public.
The significant public involvement during the comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement in the fall of 2020 demonstrates that citizens want to participate in the analysis and decision making process for this significant project proposal. This public involvement is foundational to the National Environmental Policy Act, and ensures that both private companies and government agencies are held accountable. However, recent events have left the public out.
On January 15, 2021, Midas Gold announced that following several years of negotiations, an agreement was signed with the EPA and U.S. Forest Service that will allow certain remediation activities to begin at Stibnite. There was no public comment opportunity prior to the signing of this agreement, nor has it been published in the federal register (as of the date of this update). This agreement, called an Administrative Settlement Agreement and Order on Consent, according to Midas Gold, defines the responsibilities of both Midas and federal agencies and outlines the 3 phased plan for certain cleanup activities in the Stibnite Mining District. The first phase of activities will begin prior to full permitting of Midas Gold’s proposed mining project, with phases 2 and 3 are contingent upon full project approval. A recent Idaho Statesman article attempts to summarize this new development, but the title is a bit misleading. Midas Gold has not been given a “Federal OK to begin mine work”, as this agreement will only allow certain specific remediation activities to occur; Midas Gold has not received permits to conduct any mining activities. The Final Environmental Impact Statement is anticipated for release towards the end of 2021.
The Nez Perce Tribe released an important statement regarding the agreement between Midas Gold and Federal agencies. Shannon F. Wheeler, Chairman of the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee stated that “The settlement agreement issued today is stunningly inadequate and fails to accomplish the comprehensive and responsible cleanup of the Site that the Nez Perce Tribe and Idahoans deserve. Instead, the proposed cleanup actions are heavily influenced by, and appear designed to facilitate, Midas Gold's plans to re-mine the area.”
The Nez Perce Tribe also requested a public comment opportunity prior to any decision by federal agencies to approve the agreement with Midas Gold. This request was denied, and it is unclear if the public will be given the opportunity to comment on the agreement.
Lastly, Midas Gold submitted a new modified proposal to the Forest Service in December of 2020, which contains changes to their preferred alternative that was analyzed in the DEIS. This document was posted to the Forest Service project website on January 19, 2021, however, the public was not notified of these changes. In addition, because this modified proposal was submitted both after the release of the DEIS and the public comment period, it does not contain any analysis of impacts, and the public may not be given the opportunity to comment. We are still analyzing the newly modified plan, and will share significant findings soon.
These recent developments highlight the need for the Forest Service to release a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement. If Midas Gold Corporation seeks to fulfill their commitment to transparency and public involvement in this process, they too should ask for this additional opportunity for sufficient analysis and public comment.