Rock Creek Project

From the Missoulian: "A proposed copper and silver mine beneath the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness in northwestern Montana is being blocked, again, by a court decision.

"The state water-quality permit for the Rock Creek Mine would allow it to send too much arsenic into groundwater, violating the Montana Constitution's guarantee of a clean and healthful environment, a state judge ruled in a decision dated Friday. The permit must be rewritten before the mine may move forward, District Judge Jeffrey Sherlock said."

Background information on the Rock Creek Mine is available from several sources. The Kootenai National Forest website has a page for the Rock Creek project.

The Clark Fork Coalition links to a report and other information on the project.

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) provides numerous reports through its site:

Final Environmental Impact Statement

Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement

Record of Decision

Air Quality Permit

Source: Gallagher, Susan. "Judge blocks permit for Rock Creek Mine." Missoulian March 28, 2006. B1.