Published on July 2, 2020
The U.S. Forest Service announced the draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Stibnite Gold Project is on track for an August 2020 release.
What does this mean? Well, it means that after almost four years of environmental review and additional scientific studies by third-party experts, the public can once again weigh in on the proposed project and potential alternatives.
If you’re interested, you can read more about this stage of the permitting process here.
We are extremely proud of our team and this project. From the very beginning, we set out to design a project that would repair the damage of past operators and reconnect salmon to miles of high-mountain spawning grounds while also providing an economic opportunity for Idaho families through modern, responsible mining.
What will the DEIS Say?
Through the rigours of the permitting process under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the original plan has been reviewed and researched from every angle. The multiple years of feedback and review even spurred our team to identify immediate improvements that refined the plan to have a smaller environmental footprint and added safeguards to protect the environment.
The DEIS will review the original Plan of Restoration and Operations (PRO) we submitted in 2016, the Modified PRO we submitted in 2019 and other alternatives that examine changes to project infrastructure.
The USFS has spent the last several months working to make the Draft EIS complete, comprehensive and clear for the public, so stakeholders can more easily review and digest the analysis.
Once released, we believe the Draft EIS will clearly illustrate the remarkable opportunity we have to use responsible, modern mining as both a path to restore the ecosystem at Stibnite, and also provide family-wage jobs, capital investment and critical minerals our nation so clearly needs.
It is important for the public to know that this is just one more step in the overall refinement of the project. After the public reviews and comments on the DEIS, the USFS and other agencies will review the public comments and work with Midas Gold to make additional modifications to the project to ensure the final plan is the best one possible and meets or exceeds all regulatory requirements. We anticipate the final plan won’t come until 2021.
Can you Comment?
Yes, anyone can review and provide comments to the U.S. Forest Service during the public comment period.
To stay informed and get alerts on the comment period, sign up here: www.CountIdahoIn.com.
In the meantime, join one of our webinars to have your questions answered and get the latest on the project development. RSVP here.
