Idaho
Idaho mining project prioritized by Trump administration nears final federal approval
Idaho’s Stibnite gold mine cleared another major federal permit hurdle Monday. The mine would be the only source of antimony in the country and is a site of environmental controversy.
In 2016, Perpetua Resources began the process to reopen the mine. Eighteen planned years of open pit mining would extract millions of pounds of gold, silver and antimony.
Federal regulators issued the project’s permit under the Clean Water Act on Monday – its last remaining permit needed. The Biden Administration and U.S. Forest Service gave final approval to the mine’s Environmental Impact Statement earlier this year.
In March, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to “increase American Mineral Production.” A month later, Stibnite was recognized by the Trump administration as a critical mining project for its antimony, which is used in ammunition, semiconductors and solar panels. It hasn’t been mined in the United States since 2001.
Sydney Anderson is Idaho Rivers United’s Mining and Policy Manager. The organization is one of several environmental groups opposed to the project.
Anderson says Perpetua’s current water treatment plan does not account for how climate change and air pollution could cause lasting harm to state water quality.
“Twenty, 25 years in the future, there’s just no good way of telling what the impacts will be, except that what they’re modeling now is probably a very, very conservative estimate.”
The mine also sits on ancestral land of the Nez Perce tribe, which stopped its salmon restoration work in the area when mining permits were approved.
Anderson says Perpetua’s plans to dredge up and reroute major sections of the East Fork South Fork Salmon River undermine the tribe’s decades of work restoring salmon habitats and spawning grounds.
“That can really cause issues with water temperature and water quality in oversimplification because it’s not connected to natural hydrology. So the natural water flow isn’t in that area anymore when you change the route of a river,” Anderson said.
Perpetua estimates antimony will make up only four percent of profits from minerals mined. The rest will come from gold and silver.
The company says there’s enough antimony in the mine to meet around one-third of the country’s demand for six years. Anderson said that isn’t enough to justify more mining.
Perpetua says it is taking steps to protect water quality and salmon habitats. In its 2023 environmental report, the company said it aims to eliminate legacy pollution from the mining area that could leak into rivers, and restore salmon routes disturbed by previous mining activities.
Perpetua has been removing legacy pollution alongside the EPA and U.S. Forest Service since 2021, with cleanup expected to conclude this year. The Environmental Protection Agency tried to designate the area as a hazardous Superfund site after finding high concentrations of heavy metals like arsenic in the water. Idaho has yet to accept the designation.
The federal permitting council expects to completely approve the Stibnite Gold Project by the end of July.
PAYETTE — A Payette mom’s bond was revoked Tuesday after she was charged with suffocating her twin children earlier this month and is believed to pose a danger to the life of her newborn child.
The case, which has drawn national headlines, concerns Andrea Renee Shaw, a 23-year-old Payette mother who in May 2025 said her 18-month-old fraternal twins died the same day, after receiving routine childhood vaccinations. In January, Shaw joined as a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit filed by Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine organization founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with several other plaintiffs claiming vaccine injury or death.
Kennedy, who now serves as secretary of Health and Human Services, is no longer part of the group after taking on the cabinet position, as was reported by the Associated Press.
In Idaho, the twins’ deaths prompted a 14-month investigation by the Payette County Sheriff’s Department. On June 29, the investigation yielded a grand jury indictment of Shaw on two counts of first-degree murder by suffocation. If convicted, Shaw can be punished by up to life in prison or the death penalty, and the court would have the ability to order the penalties be served consecutively, or back to back.
Tuesday’s arraignment at the Payette County Courthouse was primarily attended by Shaw’s relatives and members of the media. Payette County Judge Kiley Stuchlik, who serves Idaho’s Third Judicial District, presided.
A key consideration for Stuchlik on Tuesday was a request from Joseph Filicetti, the legal counsel for Shaw, to have her bond reduced from $2 million to $100,000. Filicetti said this would allow for Shaw to care for a newborn girl, who, according to court documents, was born by caesarean section on June 25, four days prior to Shaw’s grand jury indictment.
State prosecutors objected to the motion for bond reduction, noting at hand was a potential death penalty case and asserting, unlike her husband, Shaw’s story repeatedly changed during questioning. Prosecuting Attorney Mike Duke said releasing Shaw would ultimately put the newborn’s safety at risk.
“That child is the most at risk. We do not think she should be allowed to be anywhere near any children, let alone her own children,” Duke said.
Stuchlik decided to revoke bond entirely, stating Shaw posed a “risk of safety” to the newborn child that was not known to Stuchlik or prosecutors when the $2 million bond was initially set.
Also for consideration Tuesday was a request to have grand jury transcripts of witness testimony provided to prosecutors and defense counsel to prepare their respective cases.
Idaho
Idaho is home to the nation's first DarkSky Reserve. Now it's home to the nations first DarkSky Certified Resort
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – A controversy is brewing as the City of Idaho Falls reviews its alcohol ordinance.
The goal is to consolidate four existing ordinances for beer, wine and liquor into a single law and ensure compliance with state code.
However, at its meeting last Thursday, the Idaho Falls City Council unanimously voted to remove the proposed ordinance from its agenda, in order to receive and consider additional public comment.
The proposed ordinance would:
1. Require commercial establishments selling, dispensing or permitting consumption of alcohol – including beer, wine or liquor – to have an alcohol license, alcohol catering permit or a charitable event permit.
2. Business events with 20 or less employees consuming alcohol at the business would be allowed.
3. Require alcohol servers to complete training every three years.
4. Individuals who violate the law could be charged with a misdemeanor.
Idaho Falls City Council President Jim Francis said the changes were the culmination of months of collaboration between law enforcement, business owners and city attorneys.
“We wanted to provide a safe environment – the primary point here – for public gatherings,” Francis said. “We recognize that certain antiquated elements of the current code are overly restrictive and needed to be addressed. We wanted to make the code more accessible to the public. We needed to address over-pouring issues. We wanted to reduce penalties where possible for violations, particularly the first offenses, and yet make the code clear enough to be enforceable consistently by law enforcement.”
But City Council Member John Radford said the changes represent an overreach by city government.
“I believe it’s a bad policy. What problem are we solving in the name of trying to solve a non-problem?” Radford said. “We’re becoming big brother around alcohol in your private property. I’m concerned that landlords will be at risk of being charged with a misdemeanor if they knowingly, which I made sure that was in there, because that is what we’ve been talking about, allowed people to drink in our business. We will be outside the norm of Idaho cities. This is a big step, and I don’t think the public has weighed in on this.”
At a City Council Work Session on June 1, Idaho Falls Chief of Police Bryce Johnson cited an increase in alcohol-related crime – particularly downtown – as a reason for the changes.
“DUI is there, but this would include sexual assaults, assaults, batteries, disturbances, urination, public vandalism, shooting – all sorts of crimes,” Johnson said.
But business owners are concerned about the potential impact on commercial enterprises.
“The ordinance doesn’t address the real problem – which is people drinking … at one event and then showing up in a bar or restaurant already hammered and causing problems anyway,” ” said Terri Ireland, representing the Idaho Falls Downtown Merchants Association. “The industry is really well-regulated by state and local laws already.”
The City of Idaho Falls began the process of updating its alcohol ordinance in January 2026, seeking input from community stakeholders.
Multiple community members spoke out about the ordinance.
For more in-depth information, you can read the full 39-page proposed alcohol ordinance here.
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