Nez Perce Tribe challenges air quality permit
Jul. 28—The Nez Perce Tribe is challenging an air quality permit issued to operators of a proposed open-pit gold mine in the headwaters of the South Fork of the Salmon River.
The tribe along with the Idaho Conservation League and Save the South Fork Salmon petitioned the Idaho Board of Environmental Quality seeking to overturn a permit issued to Perpetua Resources Idaho.
The company is working to reopen and expand the long-shuttered mine near Yellowpine where it hopes to extract gold and antimony and invest some of its profits into restoring the site that is releasing toxic chemicals into streams. While still in the permitting process, the company has been given permission to begin some of the cleanup work.
In June, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality issued the company the air quality permit in question. The tribe and conservation groups contend that by allowing the company to emit dust that could contain arsenic and other particulate matter, the permit violates the Clean Air Act and state laws.
Tribal chairperson Samuel N. Penney said in a news release that the permit fails to protect tribal members who have treaty rights to fish and hunt in the area, local communities and the environment from air pollution.
"Clean air is critical to protecting our Tribal members' ability to safely access and use the area for treaty-reserved, cultural, spiritual and ceremonial purposes and for protecting the resilience of our treaty-reserved resources throughout our aboriginal homeland," he said.
The company counters that the permit is protective of people and the environment, requires extensive monitoring and that the mine is considered by DEQ to be a minor source of emissions.
"Those challenging this permit may not like mining activity, but that does not invalidate a permit that meets the requirements of the law and was issued only after robust scientific and public input," said Mckinsey Lyon, vice president of external communications for the company.
Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273. Follow him on Twitter @ezebarker.
