Summary of Mining Plans of Operation in Montana.
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Currently on file with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are 171 mining plans and notices filed by 14 companies and 3 individuals, encompassing a total estimated area of 9,238 acres of BLM-managed public land in Montana. These plans and notices are filed on public land laden with gold, silver, copper and other precious metals and minerals worth billions of dollars. And these operations are only those on BLM lands, not on Forest Service lands, for which mining plans and notices are not entered into the government's LR2000 database that forms the backbone of this site. But whether the mines are on BLM or Forest Service land, none of the corporate revenue is reimbursed to the public. Instead, companies leave behind unfathomable amounts of waste. In 2001 alone, the industry dumped enough mercury nationally to fill a billion thermometers and arsenic in quantities that would pollute all public drinking water supplies for 350 years. In 2001, mines generated 45 percent of all pollution reported in the U.S. while accounting for just 0.36 percent of all industrial facilities.
| Quick facts about mining plans on BLM land in Montana |
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• Acres of U.S. public land (BLM land only) under mining plans and notices, estimated: 9,238 • Foreign-owned corporations among top BLM land mine operators: 2 of 10 • Pollution from all US mining operations, ranking among all U.S. industries: : #1 in total toxic releases • Pollution from top 89 mines in US: 5 times pollution from entire U.S. chemical industry (3,600 plants) • Western water polluted by mine waste: 40 percent of Western headwaters • Proposed mining operations that have been blocked by the Department of Interior because they posed a risk to public health or the environment: None • Other land uses that supercede rights of mining companies to operate on public lands: None |
EWG analysis of data compiled by the Bureau of Land Management. |
Top Mining Plan/Notice Companies/Individuals on BLM land in Montana Ranked by Acres Affected
Companies have been consolidated to account for subsidiaries. View this table without consolidation.
| Company/Individual | Headquarters | Number of Mining Plans & Notices on BLM land | Estimated Acreage | Plan Date(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Placer Dome Inc | World HQ in Canada | 3 | 2,600 | 1991 to 1997 |
| 2 | Pegasus Gold Corp | Reno, NV | 18 | 1,603 | 1981 to 1997 |
| 3 | Apollo Gold Inc | Denver, CO | 1 | 1,500 | 1986 |
| 4 | AMCOL International Corp | Arlington Heights, IL | 7 | 1,350 | 1981 to 2002 |
| 5 | Canyon Resources Co | Golden, CO | 3 | 1,191 | 1988 to 1989 |
| 6 | Bentonite Corp | Belle Fourche, SD | 1 | 501 | 1998 |
| 7 | Phelps Dodge Mining Co | Phoenix, AZ | 3 | 71 | 1984 to 1996 |
| 8 | Manhattan Mns Ltd | Missoula, MT | 1 | 20 | 0 |
| 9 | PKM Paul Kurth Mining | Kalispell, MT | 1 | 20 | 0 |
| 10 | Heller Drlg & Expl | Lewistown, MT | 5 | 2 | 1992 to 1993 |
| See all plan/notice holders in Montana | |||||
Counties in Montana Ranked by Acres Affected by Plans and Notices
| County | Number of Mining Plans & Notices on BLM land | Estimated Acreage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jefferson County | 12 | 4,124 | details | map |
| 2 | Carter County | 5 | 1,719 | details | map |
| 3 | Blaine County | 7 | 1,621 | details | map |
| 4 | Fergus County | 28 | 1,259 | details | map |
| 5 | Phillips County | 16 | 184 | details | map |
| 6 | Madison County | 17 | 112 | details | map |
| 7 | Granite County | 26 | 67 | details | map |
| 8 | Liberty County | 3 | 34 | details | map |
| 9 | Beaverhead County | 7 | 33 | details | map |
| 10 | Missoula County | 7 | 18 | details | map |
| See all counties | |||||
Examples of Mines in Montana
| Name of Mine | Location of Mine | Mine Status | Metal Mined | Owner or Parent Company of Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Sunlight Gold Mine | Jefferson County, MT | Open | Gold | Placer Dome Us Inc |
| Basin Creek Mine | Jefferson County, MT | Closed | Gold | Pegasus Gold Corp |
| Zortman Landusky Mine | Phillips County, MT | Closed | Gold | Pegasus Gold Corp |
| Mineral Hill | Park County, MT | Closed | Gold | Tvx Gold Inc. |
| Kendall Mine | Fergus County, MT | Closed | Gold and Silver | Canyon Resources Corporation |
| Continental Copper Mine | Silver Bow County, MT | Open | Copper Ore | Montana Resources/asarco |
| Troy Mine | Lincoln County, MT | Closed | Copper Ore | Asarco |
| Montana Tunnels Mine | Jefferson County, MT | Open | Gold | Apollo Gold Corporation |
| Diamond Hill Mining, Inc. | Broadwater County, MT | Suspended | Gold | Apollo Gold Corporation |
| East Boulder Mine | Stillwater County, MT | Open | Platinum group | Mmc Norilsk Nickel Of Russia |
| See more mines in Montana | ||||
Source: EWG analysis.