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mine Campaign history
Our Actions preventing mining near Mount St. Helens (lawetlat'la)
2004 - 2010 PAST ACTIVITY RELATING TO IDAHO GENERAL MINES, INC. (now General moly Inc.)
2004
IGMI acquired a 50% interest in the Mount Margaret deposit
General Moly–formerly Idaho General Mines, Inc. (IGMI)–acquired mineral rights for an area bordering the Mount St. Helens National Monument.
2004
March 2005
IGMI submits mining application
In the spring of 2005, Idaho General Mines, Inc. submitted an application for a hard rock mining lease.
March 2005
April 2005
A coalition opposing a mine is formed
Cascade Forest Conservancy—formally the Gifford Pinchot Task Force—began organizing a coalition of organizations, businesses, tribes, and community leaders to oppose mining operations in the Green River Valley.
April 2005
September 2005
First public comments opposing mining are submitted
Cascade Forest Conservancy and coalition partners submitted detailed public comments expressing why this is not place for a mine.
September 2005
2006
Local governments join the cause
In June of 2006 Castle Rock passed a resolution opposing the mine. Later that year
2006
March & May 2007
CFC and 16 partners submit comments on the mining Environmental Assessment (EA)
In March of 2007, the Environmental Assessment (EA) completed for IGMI's mining application was released for public comments. Cascade Forest Conservancy and 16 other coalition partners submitted comments challenging the plan.
March & May 2007
January 2008
The City of Longview also passes a resolution opposing the mine
January 2008
The public speaks out overwhelmingly in opposition to mining near Mount St. Helens
Over 33,000 individuals submitted public comments to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the agency in charge of issuing the mining permits. An astounding 99% of the comments submitted opposed the mine.
April 2008
WIN #1: MINING LEASE DENIED
In light of the overwhelming opposition to the plan, the BLM denied IGMI's lease application.
April 2008
PAST ACTIVITY RELATED TO ASCOT RESOURCES LTD.
2010 - present
March 2010
Mineral rights sold to Canadian corporation Ascot Resources
After the BLM denied IGMI's application, the mineral rights were sold to a Canadian mining corporation, Ascot Resources.
March 2010
Spring 2010
US Forest Service approves Ascot's drilling plan
The US Forest Service approved Ascot's plan without the Environmental Assessment that should have been required.
Spring 2010
August 2010
Exploratory drilling begins
Ascot began to drill at a number of exploratory sites.
August 2010
February 2011
Proposals submitted for prospecting permits
Ascot Resources submitted a proposal for two prospecting permits in early 2011.
February 2011
July 2011
CFC responds
Cascade Forest Conservancy filed a complaint regarding the permit proposals requesting a full environmental review and injunction.
July 2011
July 2011
The US Forest Service suspended drilling and halted
July 2011
October 2011
Ascot Resources attempts to gain permission to drill restored
Ascot requested a withdrawal of the concurrence letter which had halted their ongoing drilling operations and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) through the BLM.
October 2011
October 2011
WIN #2: CASE DISMISSED
Ascot's case was dismissed–an important win for opponents of the mine.
October 2011
November 2011
Amended permit applications submitted to BLM
A month after losing in the courts, Ascot submitted amended permit applications to the BLM.
November 2011
December 2011
Senator Cantwell supports efforts to prevent mining
Senator Cantwell sent a letter to the Forest Service and BLM expressing support for our efforts to prevent a mine in this section of the Cascades.
December 2011
March 2012
The Public Scoping period for the prospecting permits begins
Cascade Forest Conservancy and a number of other organizations submit comments during the initial scoping period, once again expressing opposition to mining near Mount St. Helens.
March 2012
June 2012
The BLM released the Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed project
June 2012
The BLM released the final modified EA
December 2012
Ascot is granted consent for prospecting permits
In December, the Forest Service and BLM each released decisions of Finding of no Significant Impact (FONSI) for the prospecting permits–giving Ascot approval for drilling to locate a site for a mine.
December 2012
February 2013
CFC appeals the decisions and FONSI
Cascade Forest Conservancy filed an appeal of the decisions to grant permits, arguing that the agencies' claims that the projects would not cause a significant impact to the environments and communities impacted by mining operations incorrect and misleading.
February 2013
March 2013
Administrative appeal denied
The US Forest Service denied CFC's administrative appeal, deciding instead to let the project move forward.
March 2013
May 2013
CFC files a complaint in Federal court
Cascade Forest Conservancy filed a complaint against the US Forest Service and the BLM over the prospecting permits issued to Ascot. Ascot Resources intervened in the case in June of the same year.
May 2013
July 2014
Ruling in favor of CFC
A Federal judge ruled in favor of Cascade Forest Conservancy (at the time still the Gifford Pinchot Task Force) on the majority of our legal claims and sussed a judgement declaring the prospecting permits issued by the Forest Service and BLM illegal.
July 2014
September 2014
Ascot files a notice of appeal
Ascot filed noticed that they planned to appeal the court's decision in September. The Forest Service and BLM also each filed placeholder notices of appeal in October.
September 2014
December 2014
WIN #3: APPEALS DISMISSED
The Forest Service, BLM, and Ascot Resources voluntarily dismissed their appeals to the court decision invalidating permits for the Goat Mountain mining exploration project.
December 2014
2015
Ascot Resources begins working with the BLM to improve their permit applications and prepare a new EA for exploratory drilling
2015
January 2016
The BLM and Forest Service release permit applications for public comment
Ascot Resources's Goat Mountain Hard Rock Prospecting Permit Application's modified EA is released for public comments.
January 2016
February 2016
CFC and coalition partners once again voice opposition
Cascade Forest Conservancy and our partners once again submitted comments about the modified EA for the second attempt to obtain prospecting permits near Mount St. Helens.
February 2016
March 2016
More voices oppose the mine
The City of Kelso again voted for a resolution saying they oppose a mine, and Senator Cantwell also publicly opposed the mine in a letter to the Forest Service.
March 2016
August 2017
Draft decision allowing drilling released
The Forest Service released a draft Decision Notice and a Finding of No Significant Impact for the project to allow drilling within the Green River Valley, kicking off a 45-day objection period to appeal the decision. CFC submitted an objection letter in October.
August 2017
January 2018
Forest Service decides to allow the permit process to move forward
January 2018
December 2018
The BLM releases its own Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact to allow exploratory drilling in the Green River Valley
December 2018
March 2019
Cascade Forest Conservancy files a complaint
CFC started a lawsuit in an attempt to block the exploratory drilling permits.
March 2019
October 2020
Arguments are heard in court
Oral arguments CFC's latest case against the US Forest Service and BLM were heard in October.
October 2020
February 2021
The court released the first part of its decision
A Federal judge found that the prospecting permits issued to Ascot Resources by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management violated federal environmental law. The agencies requested a stay to conduct additional environmental analysis before the court rules on remedy. The stay is in place until November 2021. Ascot has agreed that there will be no prospecting during this time.
February 2021
February 2022
WIN #4: The Court Order reverses the decisions that would have allowed drilling
The Court vacated decisions by the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, revoking permits that had been granted to Ascot Resources, ending the matter in favor of CFC and the Green River Valley.
February 2022
December 2023
The Green River becomes an Outstanding Resource Water
Portions of the Green River, Napeequa River, and Cascade River became Washington state's first Outstanding Resource Waters (ORWs). ORW status grants waterways strong protections against new sources of contamination, but does not explicitly prohibit mining.
December 2023