Without changing U.S. mining law, the Idaho Conservation Group report calls for “best practices” for mining companies

A new report from the Idaho Conservation League offers mining companies suggestions on how to be good environmental stewards and reduce potential hurdles to permitting.

The report is ICL’s first in about 20 years, according to Josh Johnson, the group’s central Idaho director.

“Things haven’t necessarily gotten better or worse, it’s just different,” he said in a telephone interview.

The report identifies 14 fully permitted mining operations in Idaho; Just over half are currently operational. Four more are awaiting permits and around ten sites are currently being investigated for possible mines. Hundreds to thousands of other mining sites are closed or abandoned – some continue to pose problems for the local environment today.

The Idaho Conservation League has spoken out and sued to try to stop or slow many mining operations in the state, but Johnson said the group is not anti-mining.

“I think we are in a stronger position if we accept that we need some mining, but we don’t have to say yes to it all the time,” he said. “(But) there will always be some places that are really too special or too sensitive for me, regardless of what is mined.”

Better mining means better methods of controlling and mitigating potentially toxic water runoff and air pollution, as well as designing less intrusive projects to limit long-term or permanent damage to landscapes and wildlife habitats around a mining area, according to the report.

“We really want to work on projects on a case-by-case basis,” Johnson said. This starts with discussions between mining companies and stakeholders.

He acknowledges that advances have made mining more efficient and perhaps less error-prone, but said many of the industry’s promises for “better mining” have not yet been translated into reality. These advances have also opened the door to mining where it might not have been possible before.

And the mining industry is thriving under that General Mining Law of 1872Johnson said. Environmental groups such as ICL have continued to advocate for the law to be updated to give regulators “more enforcement” when reviewing proposed mining projects. However, a change in the law is unlikely in the near future.

“The mining law places some restrictions on the federal agencies that approve these projects,” Johnson said. “But that is not the case, it does not stop mining companies from going beyond these standards. “So if a mining company wants to do things right, they can propose things or agree to things themselves that go beyond what the regulators can impose on them,” he said.

Mining companies that take this approach could find an easier and quicker path to approval, according to Johnson.