The owner of an inactive gold mine east of Butte is proposing to excavate and reprocess mining waste in a project that would extend the mine’s life by up to 12 years. The state is accepting comments on the proposal.
Barrick Gold Corporation says reprocessing tailings at the Golden Sunlight Mine could produce roughly 455 tons of gold and sulfur concentrate daily. It proposes to ship the concentrate to Nevada where it would be used to help fuel mineral processing operations.
The project would remain within the mine’s existing footprint.
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality is seeking public input on the scope of a forthcoming Draft Environmental Impact Statement. A virtual public scoping meeting will be held on March 4 at 6 p.m.
