A shuttered southwest Montana gold mine that plans to extract metals from its mining waste is one step closer to state approval Friday.
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality on Friday released its Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Golden Sunlight Mine about 5 miles northeast of Whitehall in Jefferson County.
Barrick Gold Corporation closed its mine in 2019 and, in 2020, applied to reprocess mine waste to extract a gold and sulfide concentrate. Barrick says the corporation intends to ship the site’s output to Nevada.
DEQ says reprocessing the mine’s waste will take place within the facility’s existing footprint and extend the site’s life by about 12 years. DEQ must publish its final decision no less than 15 days after the release of its Final Environmental Impact Statement.
