Opencut Mining Act News Today

Heres a roundup of local stories that ran this week.

Attorneys for nonprofit Friends of the Jocko and resident Jim Coefield argued in court that the Department of Environmental Qualitys environmental assessment during the permitting process of the projects possible impacts to groundwater, wildlife and human health was woefully inadequate and fell far short of the agencys requirements under the Montana Environmental Policy Act.

The River Rock Event Center in Belgrade was jammed with locals Thursday evening for a presentation on a newly-proposed gravel pit on Highline Road.

Gallatin County residents voiced concerns and frustration over a proposed gravel pit when the Montana Department of Environmental Quality hosted an open house a

When the 2021 Montana legislature passed House Bill 599 (HB 599) it drastically altered Montana’s Opencut Mining Act and removed the DEQ’s authority to regulate environmental concerns and protections for

Riverside Contracting Inc., of Missoula, plans to extract up to 690,000 cubic yards of gravel from the acreage near the corner of Shepherd and Frey roads.

The following is a press release from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality:

Concerns about water rights, air quality and property values – interspersed with insults, catcalls and implied threats – dominated a March 15 public meeting on a proposed gravel pit along Farm to Market Road.