Mining has played an important role in shaping Idaho, but the Idaho Conservation League is working to raise awareness about the long-lasting environmental damage caused by mining in the Gem State. 

A new report from the nonprofit, Unearthing Idaho: Mining and Environmental Impacts in the Gem State, provides guidance on balancing the demand for minerals with protecting Idaho’s environment. It was published to address concerns about new mining projects, increased exploration efforts and issues with abandoned mines, said Josh Johnson, the central Idaho director for the Idaho Conservation League.

Johnson acknowledged the need for mining, noting that resources like cars, cellphones and computers and renewable energy technology rely on mined materials, some of which come from Idaho.  

“Mining is a huge part of Idaho’s history and in our heritage here,” Johnson told the Idaho Capital Sun. “We are blessed with a lot of natural resources, and there is a reason for us to use those mineral resources. But I think we need to recognize that this mining is not appropriate everywhere, and it needs to be done the right way.” 

Johnson said the organization looks at mining projects in Idaho on a case-by-case basis, and that it does not generalize mining across Idaho. The report includes a list of best practices that it hopes mining companies will adopt. 

A look at Idaho’s mining history

Though mining shaped Idaho’s history, it has created lasting environmental challenges. 

Idaho’s mining history dates back to the late 1800s, when the region became part of a late gold rush, historian Troy Lambert told the Idaho Capital Sun. After the discovery of gold in 1860, mining soon became Idaho’s dominant industry, surpassing agriculture and livestock, according to Idaho’s 1899 inaugural mining report.

The rush for resources didn’t stop at gold. Many discovered silver, lead and copper deposits, particularly in North Idaho’s Shoshone County, which would go on to lead the nation in silver production for decades.

For decades, Idaho spearheaded the mining industry, even offering mining programs through the University of Idaho’s School of Mines, established in 1917 to support the state’s demand for mining expertise. During World War II, Stibnite Mine near Yellow Pine became the nation’s leading producer of antimony and tungsten, which were used for bullet production and metal strengthening, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

However, Idaho’s mining industry, like the rest of the nation’s, began to decline in the late 1900s for several reasons, including the rising costs of extracting deeper resources, the end of World War II mining subsidies and the introduction of environmental regulations like the Clean Air and Water acts from the 1970s, Lambert said. 

This led to a declining interest in mining. By 2002, the University of Idaho closed its mining school, and many of those courses were restructured into other colleges on campus, university spokesperson Jodi Walker told the Sun. 

The Clean Air and Water acts, in particular, significantly changed Idaho’s mining practices. Before these regulations, historical mining projects operated under the idea of “dilution as the solution,” assuming polluted water would naturally clean itself as it traveled downstream, Lambert said.

“For a long time it was just a really dirty process, especially the milling process … the outhouses over the stream,” Lambert said. “They poisoned the land, the water and all of that downstream. Those dirty mining practices are still having an impact on how we manage the environment in those areas today.”

Lambert said mining in Idaho was seen as a very noble profession, where men would risk their lives to work. While mining has died down in Idaho and the U.S. as a whole, Lambert said mining worldwide has not. 

“If we don’t mine here, it’s gonna happen elsewhere in the world,” he said, adding that the U.S. has child labor laws and modern environmental standards to ensure more ethical and sustainable practices.

Report highlights mining projects that left, and could leave scars on Idaho 

Today, mining makes up for less than 1% of the Gem State’s economy. There are six operating mines left in Idaho, with three phosphate mines in southeast Idaho and three metal mines in North Idaho. 

But historical and modern mining projects continue to affect Idaho’s landscape. From lead contamination from the Bunker Hill smelter to coal mining runoff in British Columbia contaminating the Kootenai River — Idaho’s waterways and wildlife habitats are still suffering from the damage caused by mining, the report says. 

The report includes a non-exhaustive list of mining projects across Idaho, that the Idaho Conservation League says warrant the attention of Idahoans. Some are mineral exploration projects, such as the CuMo Exploration Project outside of Idaho City, and others are in the permitting process, such as Stibnite Gold Mine. 

Biden signs law to clean up abandoned mines across the western U.S.

The report, Johnson said, argues that while mining is necessary, it must be done responsibly. By offering a list of best practices, the Idaho Conservation League hopes to help mining companies and permitting regulators mitigate the environmental impact of new and ongoing projects.

There are still 8,800 abandoned mines in the state, according to the report. However, Johnson said a new federal law signed on Dec. 17 to clean up abandoned mines in the West is a step in the right direction. The law was sponsored by U.S. Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho. The next step to address mining issues would be to reform the General Mining Law of 1872, which Johnson said favors mining over any other use of public land. 

“We’re not trying to shut down the mining industry in Idaho,” Johnson said. “What we’re trying to do is improve projects and say that some places in Idaho are really special and should be off limits to mining.”