Montana high court upholds permit for proposed silver mine Follow Us Question of the Day By MATTHEW BROWN - Associated Press - Wednesday, February 17, 2021 BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - Montana officials conducted an appropriate review before granting a water permit for a proposed silver and copper mine that would run beneath a wilderness area near the Idaho border, the Montana Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. The 5-2 ruling reversed a lower court decision from 2019 that said officials had failed to adequately consider potential damage to nearby streams from Hecla Mining Co.’s proposed Rock Creek Mine. The mine beneath the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness near Noxon would employ about 300 people and cover almost 500 acres (202 hectares).