The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Metal Tech News - September 6, 2024
During World War II, the Yellow Pine Mine on the Stibnite Gold property provided the U.S. with a domestic supply of antimony and tungsten crucial for munitions and military equipment.
Perpetua employees collect water samples from a stream on the Stibnite Gold property.
Perpetua will restore environmental damage from unregulated historical mining at Stibnite during operations.
Antimony is a metalloid, an element with both metal and non-metal properties.
Antimony and tungsten historically produced at Stibnite property is credited to saving the lives of 1 million American soldiers during World War II.
In a move that is being hailed as a win for national security, the economy, and the environment, the U.S. Forest Service says it plans to approve the federal permits needed to develop Stibnite Gold, a mine project in Idaho that will be a significant domestic source of antimony critical to a number of military, high-tech, and consumer goods.
"We believe that the Stibnite Gold project is a win-win-win," said Perpetua Resources President and CEO Jon Cherry. "It's a win for Idaho, it's a win for the environment, and it's a win for America's national security."
While the main economic driver for Stibnite is the 4.8 million ounces of gold found there, the proposed mine is best known for the antimony that will be produced as a byproduct.
Antimony is a metalloid, an element with both metal and non-metal properties.
The reason antimony is grabbing the most attention is that this element is essential to America's economy and military readiness, but there are no mines currently producing this critical and strategic mineral. Instead, the U.S. is heavily reliant on imports from China, Russia, and others for its supply.
In a 2022 report, the U.S. House Armed Services Committee expressed its concerns "about recent geopolitical dynamics with Russia and China and how that could accelerate supply chain disruptions, particularly with antimony."
This unease was partially due to Russia's war with Ukraine disrupting that link in the supply chain. The House Armed Services Committee's concerns were further compounded by China's August announcement that it is placing government-controlled restrictions on the exports of antimony.
"Our independence from Chinese control over antimony is right here in our backyard, and Perpetua Resources is honored to provide a critical part of the solution to the United States' strategic need for antimony, while also delivering an economically robust gold mine that will create new jobs in Idaho," said Cherry. "It's time for the Stibnite Gold Project to help secure our future."
While the timing could not be better for the U.S. Forest Service to complete the final environmental impact statement and issue a draft record of decision for the Stibnite Gold project, this next-to-last step of the federal permitting process has been eight years in the making.
Perpetua employees collect water samples from a stream on the Stibnite Gold property.
Perpetua applied for permits to develop the mine under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in 2016 and has been carrying out baseline environmental studies at the project for nearly 15 years.
Stibnite being the site of a legacy mine that delivered critical minerals to America's military efforts during World War II added complexities to what is already a long and arduous mine permitting process in the U.S.
"This project is complex, and the impacts were rigorously analyzed over the past seven years," said Kevin Knesek, deputy forest supervisor for the Payette National Forest, where Stibnite Gold is located.
The land where Stibnite is located, however, is open to mineral entry, and the Forest Service is required to evaluate any applications submitted for developing a mine on such lands.
"As an agency with a multiple-use mission, we balance the demand for mineral extraction and the related social and economic benefits with our commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability," said Knesek.
Toward this commitment, and in response to input from the public and government agencies, numerous changes and mitigation measures aimed at minimizing impacts were added to the mine plan over the eight years of permitting under NEPA.
Now that the Forest Service has published its draft record of decision, Perpetua has reached the Stibnite Gold mine permitting goal line. The company, however, must still await a requisite 45-day period for any objections to the Forest Service's draft record of decision, followed by a 45-day period for resolution to those objections before the and the eight-year federal permitting process for the Stibnite gold-silver-antimony mine is completed.
"This project is a win-win for society, our national security, and the environment," American Exploration & Mining Association Executive Director Mark Compton penned in a congratulatory LinkedIn post to Perpetua. "Let's build on this momentum and address unnecessarily long permitting timeframes so we can responsibly develop our own mineral resources."
In addition to being a gold mine that is expected to be a secure and reliable source of about one-third of America's current annual antimony needs, the proposed Stibnite mine has been designed to rehabilitate the impacts of a century of unregulated mining at the site.
This legacy mining included an emergency scale-up of mining to meet America's critical mineral needs during World War II.
From 1941 to 1945, Stibnite singlehandedly produced 90% of the domestic antimony and 40% of the tungsten needed to support America's wartime effort. This strategic metal mine's contribution is credited with shaving an entire year off the global conflict.
Antimony and tungsten historically produced at Stibnite property is credited to saving the lives of 1 million American soldiers during World War II.
"In the opinion of the munitions board, the discovery of that tungsten at Stibnite, Idaho, in 1942 shortened World War II by at least 1 year and saved the lives of a million American soldiers," according to the March 7, 1956, U.S. Senate Congressional Record.
Once the war was over, however, the demand for antimony and tungsten subsided, and with it, the mining at Stibnite. While intermittent mining was later carried out, the environmental impacts from unregulated World War II-era mining remain.
The Stibnite Gold mine plan Perpetua submitted for permitting will address the impacts of legacy mining, which includes:
• Restoring native fish passage, opening miles of pristine spawning habitat that has been inaccessible for 80 years.
• Improving water quality by reprocessing and safely storing legacy tailings which will reduce arsenic in rivers on site by up to 90%.
• Restoring 450 acres of wetlands, which represents a 63% net increase in wetlands on the property.
This level of restoration would have cost American taxpayers tens of millions of dollars as a standalone government project. With Perpetua's plan, America benefits from the antimony produced and the historic mine site gets restored to modern mine permitting standards.
"We want to see Stibnite restored, and the Stibnite Gold project is going to make our backyard better," said Deb Filler, a resident of Yellow Pine, the closest community to Stibnite. "Perpetua Resources has been an exceptional community partner, earning our trust and taking the long and high road to make this project right for Idaho."
Filler said the residents of Yellow Pine are proud of what the development of a gold-silver-antimony mine at Stibnite means for the nation and the environment.
"It is time for the Stibnite Gold project," she said.
With more than 16 years of covering mining, Shane is renowned for his insights and and in-depth analysis of mining, mineral exploration and technology metals.
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