An effort to pull the operating permit of a coal mine in the Bull Mountains near Roundup fell flat after an investigation by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).
Six conservation organizations, led by the Billings-based Northern Plains Resource Council, filed a petition last month to revoke the operating permit for the Signal Peak mine.
The groups accused the mining company of environmental and public health violations, as well as criminal activity and corruption within the organization.
DEQ says it will not be pulling Signal Peak’s operating permit and has rejected the environmental allegations, but the agency is still investigating other parts of the petition.
