Mine exploration project approved in Boise River headwaters without recommended protections

Advocates for the West and our conservation partners are speaking out against a recently approved mine exploration project proposal in the headwaters of the Boise River. The U.S. Forest Service authorized a four-year plan by Idaho Copper Corporation to construct up to eight miles of new roads and clear 122 drill pads on National Forest lands near Grimes Creek. Through the CuMo Exploration Project, Idaho Copper hopes to find sufficient copper and molybdenum to excavate one of the largest open-pit accessible molybdenum mines in the world—all within the Boise River watershed.

“Just the exploration alone poses threats to our water quality, recreation, traffic, public safety, and wildlife—and it is a dangerous stepping stone to massive amounts of pollution in the Boise River headwaters from an open pit mine,” said John Robison, Public Lands & Wildlife Director with the Idaho Conservation League.

The Boise River is the lifeblood of the Treasure Valley. The exploration site is upstream of half of Idaho’s population, and the Boise River watershed provides approximately 30 percent of Boise’s drinking water supply and irrigates over 300,000 acres of farmland. An eventual open pit mine places the entire watershed—and all who rely on it—at unacceptable risk. Just last month, the tailings dam at an open pit copper mine in Zambia failed, spilling some 30 million gallons of acid mine waste that contaminated 60 miles of the Kafue River.

“Copper is important, but so is clean drinking water for Idahoans,” said Sydney Anderson, Mining and Policy Manager at Idaho Rivers United. “We need to see more responsible mining practices so that we don’t put communities downstream at risk. Responsible mining means that some places are too valuable to mine.”

“The project site includes some of the best forest habitat remaining in the Boise Basin for sensitive species like great grey owl, American goshawk, and wolverine,” said Cynthia Wallesz, Executive Director of the Golden Eagle Audubon Society. “The exploration area also hosts a rare flower found only in the mountains of central Idaho, Sacajawea’s bitterroot.”

This isn’t the first time a variation of this project has been proposed, or that conservation groups have spoken out and taken action. In litigation brought by Advocates for the West on behalf of our partners, a federal court struck down the project in 2012 because the Forest Service failed to adequately assess the risks that extensive underground drilling could contaminate groundwater. The court struck it down again in 2016 because of the project’s threats to Sacajawea’s bitterroot.

“Despite the fact that this project is still in its exploration phase, it warrants incredible concern when you look at published documents from the company. If all goes to plan, this project will result in one of the largest open-pit mines in the Americas that has the potential to jeopardize one of Boise’s primary sources of drinking water,” said Nick Kunath, Conservation Director at Idaho Rivers United.

Another relevant development is the current financial situation of the mining company. Last fall, the Idaho Copper Corporation underwent a transition of ownership through a forced Sheriff’s sale, resulting in an investment company from Hong Kong as the new majority shareholder. Shifting control over the project raises concerns that cost-cutting measures could take precedence over responsible environmental stewardship.

Hundreds of thousands of Idahoans rely on the drinking water, recreation resources, and habitat that this area provides. This project puts all of that at risk.