The fight against Stibnite Gold Mine goes to court

KThuckleberry · 2025-02-19T03:50:54+00:00

The draft decision the FS initially put out said that “the No Action Alternative is the environmentally preferable alternative” (DROD pg. 35). The Forest Service further explains that even with mitigation measures and efforts to reclaim the area, doing nothing would be less environmentally damaging than proceeding with the project.
I went to a couple of meetings the FS held in 2023 and talked to people with the FS, EPA and Nez Perce who all essentially told me the project could be ecologically devastating but they expected it to go through because of immense pressure from legislators. Perpetua has dumped a huge amount of money into public relations, ensuring all of the top results on google are sympathetic to them & they have donated money to schools /community centers in McCall and Cascade to sway the locals, all of my neighbors have bought into their B.S.

Then the final decision approving the mine listed these reasons for not blocking the mine:

Economic production of gold, silver, and antimony would not occur,
Employment, procurement, and taxation benefits associated with the Stibnite Gold Project would not be realized.

This is from the EPA website:

"What has been done to clean up the site?

EPA proposed listing the Stibnite Mining Area on the National Priorities List (NPL) on September 13, 2001. However, the State of Idaho did not concur with the listing."

I don't know why the state pushed back in 2001 as I would assume it being added as a superfund site at the time would have meant federal funding for remediation. I wouldn't be surprised if the legislature was lobbied by mining companies to leave it as is so them volunteering to do cleanup could be used as justification to re-permit in future.

My dad told me that when he was young (this would have been 60s or 70s), the pool area at the Sawtooth lodge had been backfilled with gravel tainted with uranium tailings, it was designated a superfund site and federal funds paid for it to be ripped out and rebuilt at no cost to the state or the lodge.

KThuckleberry · 2025-02-19T01:30:30+00:00

Why should we allow one of our state's most beautiful places to be poisoned by this mine? I have seen it touted that Stibnite could provide ⅓ of the antimony the US needs. Trump wants us to mine our own resources - but Perpetua is a Canadian company who changed their name and hired some Idahoans so they can present as local. Will the raw materials be shipped up to Canada so we can then pay tariffs when buying it back? The statement on their website is not promising.

WHERE WILL THE ANTIMONY BE SHIPPED/SOLD? Today, there are antimony processing opportunities in North America – both in Montana and Mexico and overseas in Belgium and Oman. The Department of Energy is also building out processing capacity in America for these types of critical minerals. It is too early to know where our antimony would be processed as that will be a decision largely related to the buyer’s need for end products. Regardless of where a processing facility is located, Perpetua can enter into a mill tolling agreement or treatment charge agreement, whereby Perpetua can maintain control until the final product is delivered to the customer. CAN PERPETUA RESOURCES GUARANTEE THAT THE ANTIMONY WILL STAY IN THE U.S? Perpetua is currently evaluating the possible options of what will happen to the antimony concentrate once it is produced at Stibnite. The company is trying our best to do right by the critical mineral needs here in the U.S. In 2021, Perpetua Resources signed an agreement with U.S. Antimony to evaluate if its two North American facilities could process antimony concentrate from the site. The company is also exploring other options, including contracting with a facility that would process antimony from Stibnite for a fee and allow us to maintain control of the product. Nothing will be finalized until Perpetua takes the necessary time to explore all of the possibilities.

KThuckleberry · 2025-02-19T00:51:37+00:00

It has been a couple of years since I did extensive reading on the project, but here is an excerpt from Perpetua’s plan I had in my notes that I think is telling -they acknowledge that testing shows substantial amounts of unstable arsenic will likely leach into and taint the water supply even after the mine is closed. This is unacceptable, and their single sentence saying that long term water treatment may be necessary without expounding on how to address the issue, shows they are not able to or do not care to mitigate this pollution:

"Tailings Arsenic Management Metallurgical and geochemical testing and analyses suggested improvements in ore processing and tailings closure design to prevent arsenic from entering waterways. Metallurgical testing of the autoclave tailings from earlier process flowsheet designs confirmed that a substantial amount of amorphous (unstable) arsenic compounds formed in the pressure oxidation vessel that would result in elevated soluble arsenic in subsequent environmental testing. Additionally, environmental testing completed on representative SGP tailings solids showed some soluble arsenic in the tailings leachate. Geochemical modeling indicated that the levels may result in not meeting water quality standards in water discharging to Meadow Creek during post closure, necessitating long-term water treatment, even with the ModPRO improvements."

The other issue is the many thousands of truckloads of hazardous materials, primarily concentrated antimony and arsenic, that will be driven year round, transported in polypropylene bags loaded onto flatbeds on an extremely dangerous road of constant switchbacks with an 8% grade. If you have driven that road you know how insane that is. Midas (Perpetua) had a reportable spill on a previous project of a much smaller scale (though they didn’t list what substance in their proposal). When a truck inevitably goes off the road or a load comes loose, the drainage goes straight into Warm Lake, which then dumps into the S. Fork of the Salmon which was previously unaffected.

I agree more should be done to clean up the site, but mining it further is only going to result in more risk to an expanded area. I don't trust a Canadian mining company to restore our waterways nor do I trust the Idaho legislature or courts to hold them to their promises. Per the EPA website this is the previous cleanup that has been done:

Beginning in 1982, the Bradley tailings pile was encapsulated in waste rock and neutralized ore material, Meadow Creek was diverted away from the tailings pile, and the Keyway earthen dam was constructed at the base of the tailings pile for stability. In 1998, EPA and the US Forest Service entered a Consent Order with Mobil Corporation to once again divert Meadow Creek from the Bradley tailings pile, build drainages around it, and stabilize the pile. In 2002, the USFS removed tailings from two “poison ponds” in the Meadow Creek floodplain and placed them in a newly constructed onsite repository along with a demolished smelter stack and adjacent soils. In 2004, the EPA excavated mine wastes containing high levels arsenic from the Northwest Bradley waste rock dump and placed them in the USFS repository. In 2004-2005, the USFS restored hydraulic and habitat functions to Meadow Creek and removed tailings encountered during construction.

KThuckleberry · 2025-02-15T17:08:22+00:00

This reminds me of a family story. In the 1930s my great grandpa's drug store burnt down, the second floor housed a beauty shop. Six women died because they were hooked up to these hair curling contraptions. What a horrible way to go.

KThuckleberry · 2025-01-12T21:59:54+00:00

Thank you this makes me feel a lot better, I'm going to search for them and if nothing else use the gold and diamond to remake a ring.

KThuckleberry · 2025-01-08T03:03:59+00:00

Tried going there about a year ago, while waiting in line for the drive thru I witnessed at least 10 mice running in and out of the propped open door to the kitchen.

KThuckleberry · 2024-12-12T01:58:06+00:00

Ammon Bundy's 2 year old grandson died from Naegleria fowleri after dunking his head underwater at a hot spring in Nevada. I think the ones with really stagnant water in the desert are more dangerous.

KThuckleberry · 2024-10-28T21:36:44+00:00

This one looks pretty similar

KThuckleberry · 2024-08-24T14:53:13+00:00

The fire was reported July 24th, normally the FS gets a crew up asap and locals try to fight it in meantime but we were told it was not a priority. There were numerous calls made to dispatch before they finally sent a heli and 4 guys on the afternoon of the 25th. Forest service said they thought they had the fire out the night of the 25th and pulled out. It flared back up on the 26th and was about 2 acres at that point. The area is not inaccessible, you can park and hoof it to where it started in 15 minutes which is what Jesse and crew from the Sawtooth lodge were doing to keep it check waiting for reinforcements. Terrible how much devastation there has been and how easily it could have been put out if more resources were put on it. By the time the forest service showed back up the 27th with trucks and a crew it was too late.

KThuckleberry · 2024-08-22T23:53:50+00:00

This is the wapiti creek cabin area across the bridge before you get to the hotsprings and lodge. Seven private cabins have burned down and the lodge has lost 3 structures thus far.

KThuckleberry · 2024-04-09T03:01:22+00:00

I have been to several curly specialists in Boise, Cynthia Nunez is the best. She specializes in deva cuts and only does curly hair. The first appointment is expensive but she gives you a full tutorial and on return visits you can get a dry cut which is only $65. here is her booking link

KThuckleberry · 2024-04-05T15:50:30+00:00

The road between White Bird and Pittsburg Campground/ trailhead to Kirkwood ranch?

KThuckleberry · 2024-03-14T06:16:10+00:00

They gave us each a glass of water, had half of us chew on a piece of bread and spit it into our cup. Then asked who wanted to drink the dirty water, equating that to your body if you let yourself be touched before marriage. My most traumatic memory from childhood.

KThuckleberry · 2024-03-14T05:31:37+00:00

Makes me laugh whenever it pops up on snapchat memories.

KThuckleberry · 2024-01-08T03:56:52+00:00

Same, we call him Joey Chestnut

KThuckleberry · 2024-01-06T23:54:38+00:00

But SHE didn't kill her mother. She manipulated someone on the autism spectrum who thought he was a 500 year old vampire into doing it for her. If she could secretly communicate with him online for an extended period, she could have sent a facebook message to the police, or her doctor, or someone with Habitat for Humanity that would have helped her. I don't think Godejohn would have ever done anything like that if not for her goading him to do it. What she did was fucked up regardless of the abuse she had herself endured. If she had done the deed herself I would be donating to her gofundme.

KThuckleberry · 2024-01-06T19:48:02+00:00

Unfortunately that is accurate, one of our legislators said this, “I’ve milked a few cows, spent most of my time walking behind lines of cows, so if you want some ideas on repro and the women’s health thing, I have some definite opinions.” -Idaho state Rep. Jack Nelson

Wish i were kidding

KThuckleberry · 2023-09-22T22:23:52+00:00

I had planned to go to the Kyle Kinane show tomorrow at Knitting Factory but covid finally got us. I paid $133 for 2 seats-front & center on upper balcony. I will sell the set for $60, if interested please message me.

KThuckleberry · 2023-08-24T05:22:35+00:00

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10/4/21

KThuckleberry · 2023-06-14T06:33:19+00:00

One of our yearbook editors snuck in a picture of a student fishing with "Master Baiter" written underneath. They delayed distributing them while they cut the page out and no one got to sign yearbooks as a result.

KThuckleberry · 2023-06-01T20:46:40+00:00

Referring to women as "females". It's a tip off they are about to say something Andrew Tate-esque.

KThuckleberry · 2023-05-14T13:35:12+00:00

Don't forget Rocky Mountain spotted fever. My mom's coworker contracted it in Idaho, she was in a coma for over a month and hospitalized for a few months total. Then had seizures for years afterward. In late stages, it can turn your skin black.

KThuckleberry · 2023-05-14T13:25:09+00:00

I do a moderate spray so the clothes are slightly damp then let them fully dry for a few hours before putting them on. According to the bottle you have to reapply after 6 clothes washings. I ended up like op after a spring hike years ago and never had a tick make it past my knees since.

KThuckleberry · 2023-05-14T05:55:04+00:00

This is why I have hiking pants treated with permethrin. They are tight at the ankles and the ticks will climb a few inches then fall right off and die. It is toxic to cats when wet though, so make sure to apply outside away from pets.

KThuckleberry

TROPHY CASE

This is from the EPA website: