by David Brooks, MTU and David Ward, President, Bitterroot Chapter Trout Unlimited
On December 1st, 650+ Ravalli County residents packed a County Commission meeting with one agenda topic: a rare earth element mine in Sheep Creek, a Bitterroot River headwater. Specifically, the public and Commissioners wanted more information from U.S. Critical Materials (USCM) about its plans and the proposed fast-track permitting process. Less than 2 weeks later, with few questions answered, USCM submitted a draft Plan of Operations (the Plan) for mine exploration to the US Forest Service.
Montana Trout Unlimited (MTU) has long advocated for the Bitterroot’s prized fishery, and for responsible mining. In this unfolding situation, three things are clear: 1) There is deep concern about the many risks of mining in the headwaters of the Bitterroot, 2) USCM continues to ignore requests for communication, transparency and information needed to understand those risks, and 3) demands for rare earth elements can be met through existing mines and mine waste without the risks that new mines pose.
At the meeting, USCM representative Scott Osterman stated, “We’d like to have the advice of people…who share the same commitments to our environment that are sitting in this room today. And we view that feedback and that participation as extremely important.” Unfortunately, this is completely inconsistent with company actions. Osterman also stressed the company was not moving quickly, despite the Plan’s placement on the federal FAST-41 list, which enables a faster-than-normal permitting process.
Community feedback was clear: withdraw from the FAST-41 track, hit reset and truly engage with local people, businesses and elected officials. Montana’s Congressional delegates agreed. Within 24 hours, our congressmen issued statements urging USCM to, indeed, slow down and engage the community. However, less than 2 weeks later, USCM submitted their Plan with no additional public outreach and no acknowledgement of the Commission’s and federal delegation’s requests.
Actions undermine claims made by USCM that “future mining” would not harm the Bitterroot. Water quality and water quantity are top of mind for most Montanans. Osterman stated, “Our plan is not to draw any water from Sheep Creek, nor to discharge any water.” Yet the Plan states that if groundwater that floods the underground workings is not sufficient, “additional process water” will come from “Sheep Creek, or the West Fork of the Bitterroot River.” The Plan provides no indication of how much groundwater the company might encounter, how much processing water it might use, nor any indication of how USCM expects to divert this water without Montana water rights.
That’s the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the lack of detail provided about the mine exploration process and associated risks. USMC claims that there is no risk of water pollution in public, but the company’s own lab results from previous exploration indicate that acid mine drainage and radioactivity are actual risks. Again, no further information is provided to relieve these concerns.
MTU’s 60+ year history began with local efforts to protect invaluable water resources. The Bitterroot Chapter of Trout Unlimited helped establish our organization and both have invested in policy, advocacy, on-the-ground restoration and education to support the Bitterroot and its fishery. We are committed to ensuring that a mine, especially a poorly planned one, does not imperil the Bitterroot.
There are better ways to strengthen domestic critical mineral supply without risky mines like Sheep Creek. We are investigating options to meet demands for critical minerals that instead rely on existing mines or mining waste. In short, we will invest in smart, safe ways to strengthen the domestic mineral supply. So far, USMC’s plans fall far short. Sheep Creek, the Bitterroot River and everyone in the watershed deserve better.