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.

IDAHO — Idaho State Police have identified seven people who died earlier this month in a fiery crash near Yellowstone National Park, including a tour van driver from Riverside County.

Just before 7:15 p.m. on May 1, Yu Zhang, 30, of Eastvale was behind the wheel of a Mercedes tour van heading east on U.S. Highway 20, near Henry’s Lake in Idaho, toward nearby Yellowstone.

The van driver was carrying nine passengers when a Dodge Ram pickup truck crossed the center line and smashed into the tour vehicle, according to Idaho State Police.

On May 16, Idaho State Police identified seven killed in the crash, including Yu Zhang, and the pickup driver identified as 25-year-old Isaih Moreno of Humble, Texas.

The deceased tour van passengers were named as:

• Ivana Wen, age 28, of Milan, Italy
• Jianping Li, age 71, of Guangxi, China
• Li Nie, age 64, of Arcadia, California
• Aifeng Wan, age 53, of Arcadia, California
• Xiaoming Jiang, age 66, of Guilin, Guangxi Province, China

DNA experts at Idaho State Police Forensic Services and forensic pathologists and investigators at the Ada County Coroner’s Office “allowed for a timely, thorough, coordinated, and comprehensive identification of the decedents,” according to Captain Chris Weadick, Idaho State Police District 6.

At the time of the two-vehicle crash, a passerby and Fremont County law enforcement were the first to arrive at the scene, police said. The officers saved multiple people trapped in the burning wreckage.

“Emergency medical personnel responded and treated at least sixteen patients,” Idaho State Police reported shortly after the crash.

The reason for the pickup’s movement remains under investigation; crash reconstruction and additional testing are still underway, Idaho State Police said Friday.

“Given the dynamic nature of the crash, the number of casualties, and the involvement of foreign nationals, this has been a highly complex investigation,” Weadick said. “We appreciate the public’s patience and understanding as we’ve worked to confirm facts and provide verified information.”