APNewsBreak: Major mine proposal gets only partial approval
(AP) — Montana environmental regulators gave only partial approval on Friday to a long-stalled silver and copper mine proposed beneath a federal wilderness area, casting uncertainty over the $500 million project that would bring hundreds of jobs to a rural area with high unemployment.
Department of Environmental Quality Director Tom Livers approved an air quality permit and transmission line that would connect to the mine.
Livers gave conditional approval to an operating permit for the evaluation phase of the mine, making it contingent on the outcome of the water pollution permit.