The U.S. Forest Service said in a release Wednesday that efforts around mining exploration in the Sheep Creek area of the Bitterroot National Forest aren’t happening yet.
While no plans of operation have been received, the Forest Service still expects to get a renewed Notice of Intent for mining exploration from the Canada-based company U.S. Critical Minerals and U.S. Critical Metals this year.
"Since last fall, U.S. Critical Minerals and U.S. Critical Metals (USCM) have not submitted any proposals to the Forest Service to continue exploration in 2024," Bitterroot National Forest District Ranger Dan Piley said in the release. "This means that there have been no exploration activities in the Sheep Creek area since October 2023, no assessment of a new project proposal, and no project analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act. The Forest anticipates receiving a renewed Notice of Intent to Explore from USCM for hand tool exploration, sampling and geologic mapping over the course of the 2024 field season."
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The statement comes after 19 conservation groups signed a letter last week advocating for greater transparency from the Forest Service and to pursue a complete environmental review before any actions are taken around the 7 square miles currently claimed for mining.
The letter noted a webpage on U.S. Critical Minerals' website that detailed a plan of operations for the summer of 2024. The plan of operations said the company would begin exploratory work at 10 sites at its proposed Sheep Creek Mine. That work would include constructing new roads, building drill pads and drilling 700-foot holes. That webpage was removed days later.
Piley said the company informed him that there was not a plan of operation prepared to submit to the Forest Service, subsequently leading to the takedown of the plan.
USCM has explored roughly 25% of the proposed mining site, as reported in the Daily Montanan. According to the company, the site's rare earth deposits are some of the highest grade in North America and are needed to support electric vehicles and various electronics. Exploration activities ceased last October following the Notice of Intent filed last year, with the company intending to file a plan of operations in the future.
The Forest Service said they are not aware of when a plan might be submitted. The plan would have to go under review by the National Environmental Policy Act to determine the impact the project might have. The release notes the Forest Service could still determine whether the project might be eligible for a categorical exclusion, meaning that it could avoid full environmental review and reduce public input.
To increase communication with the public, the Bitterroot National Forest has since published a project proposal webpage for Sheep Creek Rare Earth Exploration project at fs.usda.gov/project/bitterroot/?project=65203.
