skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Monday, June 23, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Security guard kills MI church gunman, preventing 'large-scale mass shooting'; NM Pride celebrations urge 'resilience' after U.S. v. Skrmetti ruling; Beleaguered L.A. affordable housing proposal goes before judge; Data change means ID saw largest college enrollment drop in spring term.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

U.S. awaits Iran's response following strikes on three nuclear sites. Department of Homeland Security warns about possible attacks here, and advocates call for resilience as LGBTQ rights face threats around the nation.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Giant data centers powering artificial intelligence want cheap rural land but some communities are pushing back, Hurricane Helene mobilized a North Carolina town in unexpected ways, and Cherokee potters make ceramics that honor multiple generations.

Conservation Groups Wary of Central ID Mine Proposal

play audio
Play

Thursday, November 3, 2022   

A proposed mining operation in central Idaho is raising concerns about possible damage to nearby fish and wildlife habitat. The U.S. Forest Service has released a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Stibnite Gold Project, an open-pit mine in the headwaters of the East Fork of the South Fork Salmon River near McCall.

John Robison, public lands director for the Idaho Conservation League, said the area was mined for decades and was starting to bounce back from the environmental effects, but his and other conservation groups are concerned the new project will be a step backward.

"Even though the mining company is pitching this as a 'restoration' project, at its heart it remains an open-pit cyanide vat-leach mine that would basically transform the landscape and add millions of tons of toxic mining waste up in this headwater," Robison asserted.

Perpetua Resources, the company behind the project, said in a statement it is "providing hundreds of family-wage jobs for Idahoans, producing the only domestic mined source of antimony to protect our national security and supporting America's clean energy transition." The Forest Service has opened up a public comment period about the project through Jan. 10.

Robison noted the company had made some promises the project would include cleaning up the area, so his organization was interested in engaging and hearing more about the process.

"Unfortunately, what we've found so far in this project is it actually leaves the site worse off than it would be if nothing happened at all, particularly with regard to bull trout," Robison contended.

The Forest Service has scheduled three in-person meetings about the project, in McCall Dec. 6, Cascade Dec. 7, and Boise Dec. 9.

Disclosure: The Idaho Conservation League contributes to our fund for reporting on Energy Policy, Environment, Public Lands/Wilderness, and Water. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Dr. Tierney Brosius' friend, professor and fellow artist, Wendy DesChene, and her husband helped to photograph insects for an eight-foot-tall display. (Wendy DesChene)

Social Issues

play sound

By Jonathan Feakins for Arts Midwest.Broadcast version by Judith Ruiz-Branch for Illinois News Connection reporting for the Arts Midwest-Public News S…


Social Issues

play sound

By Frankie (Amy) Felegy for Arts Midwest.Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Minnesota News Connection reporting for the Arts Midwest-Public News Servi…

Environment

play sound

With more than 95,000 farms, Missouri ranks among the top farming states in the nation. Now, a national agriculture group is warning that bills …


Neighboring states such as Pennsylvania and Delaware hold closed primary elections. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A new lawsuit is challenging Maryland's closed primary system. If the lawsuit is successful, nearly a million Marylanders may be able to vote in …

play sound

Journalism and the way people consume news is changing, and Arizona State University will soon launch an initiative it claims will "build a stronger…

Polls consistently show that most Americans, no matter their political affiliation, oppose the federal government selling off public lands. (Adam/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Supporters of public lands will gather in Santa Fe next week to oppose pending legislation that would sell off millions of acres in 11 Western states…

Environment

play sound

Workers and families in Indiana could feel the impact of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" moving through the U.S. Senate. The legislation would roll …

Social Issues

play sound

Eight Wisconsin cities, including four rural communities, will receive improvements to help make their communities more livable. Eleven grantees …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021