HELENA — The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has issued its final Hard Rock Mining Operating Permit to Tintina Montana Inc., on the Black Butte Copper Project.
The Black Butte Copper Project will be located about 15 miles north of White Sulphur Springs in the Little Belt Mountains.
The issuance of the final operating permit means the mining company can proceed with Phase 1 Development construction. Phase 1 activities include: building and improving roads, staging for construction, creating temporary waste rock storage and building brine contact water pond impoundment.
Tintina has posted a $4,653,348 bond to cover the reclamation costs for the disturbance created by the Phase 1 Development construction activities. At this time Phase 1 is the only approved work Tintina can conduct without further action by DEQ.
In order to proceed into any Phase 2 Development or Mining Phase activities, Tintina must submit the corresponding incremental bond for review and approval by DEQ and adhere to requirements in its final permit. DEQ will require detailed final designs consistent with the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
The mining company will also obtain a permit from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation to appropriate water and/or change authorizations needed to mitigate the predicted reduction of flow in Coon Creek.
