Conservation Organizations challenge U.S. Forest Service’s approval of the Burntlog Route Geophysical Investigation
An aerial image shows the Stibnite Gold Mine project site near Yellow Pine, ID. Photo credit: EcoFlight
Contacts:
Fred Coriell, Board Member, Save the South Fork Salmon, Inc., (208) 315-3630
Nick Kunath, Conservation Manager, Idaho Rivers United, (208) 908-9232
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 8th, 2024
McCALL, ID – Approval of a project allowing Perpetua Resources Idaho, Inc. (“Perpetua,” formerly Midas Gold) to use helicopters and heavy machinery to drill bore holes and excavate test pits at 40 locations within three Idaho Roadless Areas and an eligible Wild and Scenic River Corridor in the Boise National Forest is being challenged by conservation organizations Save the South Fork Salmon and Idaho Rivers United.
The Forest Service is currently reviewing Perpetua’s plan to construct the Stibnite Gold Project, which proposes three open-pit mines, a cyanidation processing facility, and associated mine waste storage in the headwaters of the East Fork of the South Fork Salmon River approximately 44 air miles east of Cascade, Idaho.
As part of that review, the Forest Service is analyzing two different mine site access routes. The Johnson Creek Route alternative would access the mine site using existing National Forest system roads, while the Burntlog Route alternative would require constructing approximately 15 miles of new road through inventoried roadless areas directly adjacent to the border of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness and widening 23 miles of existing road. At nearly 9,000 feet in elevation, the Burntlog Route would be Idaho's second-highest road maintained year round.
“Approving the Burntlog geophysical investigation doesn’t just put the cart before the horse, it unlawfully short circuits the decision making process federal agencies are required to follow,” said Fred Coriell, Board Member of Save the South Fork Salmon. “The Forest Service is still reviewing the Stibnite Gold Project and has not selected the proposed gold mine’s access route. With no certainty that the Burntlog Route would be chosen, the Forest Service is authorizing needlessly destructive activities in one of the most remote and pristine areas in Valley County.”
In court filings, the organizations argue that the Forest Service violated federal law by failing to consider the Burntlog geophysical investigation in the larger Stibnite Gold Project review. The filings also allege that the Forest Service failed to properly account for impacts to species protected by the Endangered Species Act, including whitebark pine, wolverine, bull trout, and Chinook salmon.
The South Fork Salmon watershed is a cornerstone of efforts to restore threatened Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, and bull trout. The Forest Service views the watershed as the “most important remaining habitat for summer Chinook salmon in the Columbia River Basin.”
“Not only do we have serious concerns regarding the process and connected nature of this project to the larger Stibnite Mine, it poses serious and legitimate threats to sensitive areas and species,” said Nick Kunath, Conservation Program Manager with Idaho Rivers United. “With six of the test sites located within the Burntlog Creek Wild and Scenic corridor, one within feet of the creek itself, there are serious concerns related to sedimentation and adverse impacts to the fishery. Additionally, the project will impact three inventoried roadless areas with many sites occurring within feet of documented whitebark pine locations.”
The current lawsuit comes on the heels of a decision by Idaho’s Board of Environmental Quality to invalidate a critical air quality permit that had been issued by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.
“The Burntlog Project is yet another example of a premature decision in an attempt to fast-track approval of the Stibnite Gold Project and it unnecessarily threatens natural resources critical to the South Fork Salmon River watershed,” said Julie Thrower, attorney for the conservation groups.
A ruling on whether the Burntlog geophysical investigation can proceed before the Forest Service concludes its analysis of the larger Stibnite Gold Project is anticipated this summer.
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Save the South Fork Salmon is a community-based, non-profit conservation organization who strives to preserve and protect the ecological, cultural, and economic resources of the South Fork Salmon River watershed and the well-being of the people that depend on these resources for generations to come. www.savethesouthforksalmon.com
Idaho Rivers United is an environmental conservation organization with a mission to protect and restore the rivers and fisheries of Idaho. www.idahorivers.org
