Mine seeks to amend operating permit

The Golden Sunlight Mine submitted an application March 31 to amend their operating permit, with the possibility of extending the life of the mine up to three years with the proposed underground Apex Project.

According to the BLM, the current workforce predictions for the project are for 50 mine employees and 100 contractors, a slight increase from the existing workforce.

The amendment would allow Golden Sunlight to conduct underground mining north of the Mineral Hill Pit. A legal noticed published in this edition of the Whitehall Ledger states, “GSM would construct three adits, creating 2.5 acres of new disturbance. Overall, an additional 90 acres north of the current permit boundary would be added to the existing permit boundary to cover the area in which the underground workings and road systems would take place. Approximately 1.3 million tons of ore would be produced along with 0.3 million tons of waste rock. The amendment would extend mine life by up to three years. The mine life extension may provide for additional opportunity to process off-site ore, mostly derived from legacy mining materials located within Southwest Montana.”

At the Community Transition Advisory Committee Meeting last week, Mine Environmental Superintendent Chuck Buus said their application was well received and officials are currently reviewing it.

He said if the Apex Project had been open pit mining, there would have been a longer distance to get the permit. He said with underground mining there is a lot less impact.

Barrick USA President Michael Brown was also in attendance at the meeting, and stated there is a large trend for mining to go underground, adding it is less intrusive.