The Trump administration recently announced the first wave of so-called “Critical Mineral Production Projects,” most of which are in our region. The goal is to boost domestic mining of lithium and other minerals officials say are critical to national security and the economy.
The full list of such minerals can be found here, but they also include aluminum, chromium, zinc and many others. The recent memo also includes copper, gold and others.
Ten mining projects are a part of the first wave, and Utah, Arizona, Montana and Nevada all have one. Idaho has two: the Stibnite Gold Project and the Caldwell Canyon Mine Project.
An administration official said their inclusion would ensure that “these projects receive the most efficient review and authorization process possible.”
The selection came in response to a March executive order intended to “facilitate domestic mineral production to the maximum possible extent.”
Jon Cherry, CEO of Perpetua Resources, the company behind the Stibnite mine, said in a statement that the project’s selection highlights its “immense strategic value.”
"The Stibnite Gold Project exemplifies responsible mining with benefits extending well beyond national security," he added. "Our project is designed to create hundreds of family-wage jobs in rural Idaho, restore critical salmon spawning habitats, address legacy environmental contamination, and enhance water quality at a previously abandoned mine site."
That project – located in rugged, remote central Idaho – would produce both gold and antimony. The Forest Service issued its final authorization of the project in January, but the company is still awaiting a water permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, according to a statement from Perpetua.
The Idaho Conservation League opposes the mine, in large part due to concerns about potential impacts to the South Fork of the Salmon River. The group’s public lands and wildfire director John Robison worries that steps to speed up permitting could have negative consequences.
“There's a lot of emphasis now on critical minerals, but the most critical mineral of all is clean water for our communities,” he said. “And so what we really need to do is make sure that we protect that first and foremost.”
He said he wants the public to have every opportunity to understand – and propose mitigations for – the impacts of major mining projects.
“One of the founding principles for public lands management is to look before you leap,” he said.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
