For Immediate Release: Tuesday, May 12, 2026<\/p>\n
Contacts:<\/strong><\/p>\n John Robison<\/u><\/strong><\/a>, Idaho Conservation League, (208) 345-6933 x 213<\/strong><\/p>\n Nick Kunath<\/u><\/strong><\/a>, Idaho Rivers United, (208) 908-9232<\/strong><\/p>\n Fred Coriell<\/u><\/strong><\/a>, Save the South Fork Salmon, (208) 315-3630<\/strong><\/p>\n Jared Naimark<\/u><\/strong><\/a>, Earthworks, (650) 213-8052<\/strong><\/p>\n Marc Fink<\/u><\/strong><\/a>, Senior Attorney, Center for Biological Diversity, (218) 464-0539\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Boise, ID<\/strong> \u2014 A coalition of local and national conservation groups filed a motion preliminary injunction last Friday to halt Perpetua Resource\u2019s pending construction of the Stibnite Gold Project: an open-pit cyanide leach gold mine in the headwaters of the South Fork of the Salmon River. The motion asks to halt construction of the mine on public lands, including constructing a new access road cutting through Idaho\u2019s Salmon River Mountains, in order to protect the environment and \u201cthreatened\u201d species.<\/p>\n In February 2025, the conservation groups filed suit\u00a0<\/u><\/a>in federal district court against the U. S. Forest Service for violating the National Environmental Protection Act and other bedrock environmental laws in approving the mine, which would be located mostly on National Forest lands. The lawsuit is also against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for violating the Endangered Species Act by failing to protect threatened bull trout, wolverine, and whitebark pine. The Forest Service\u2019s own analysis shows that the project area would not be restored as Perpetua claims but would actually be worse off if the project proceeds\u2014even if the proposed restoration work goes perfectly according to plan.<\/p>\n Last fall, the conservation groups and Perpetua reached an agreement allowing limited pre-construction activities to occur while the lawsuit was being briefed. Briefing concluded earlier this year (see \u201cCase Filings\u201d here<\/u><\/a>). Perpetua now seeks to commence \u201cfull construction\u201d at the end of May, without waiting for a final decision from the Court.<\/p>\n Among other initial mine construction activities, Perpetua has indicated it will start constructing the Burntlog Route: a second and new access road to the mine site, through protected roadless and riparian areas and threatened species habitat. Perpetua would reconstruct and widen 23 miles of existing road on National Forest to be approximately four times wider than standard roads in the area to accommodate industrial mine traffic. To complete the Route, Perpetua would also build 15 miles of new road through remote wildlife habitat, mostly in inventoried roadless areas.<\/p>\n \u201cThe South Fork Salmon River and everything and everyone who depends on it are at risk if the government allows our public lands to be monetized to benefit billionaires,\u201d said John Robison, Public Lands and Wildlife Director for the Idaho Conservation League. \u201cWe believe the South Fork Salmon River deserves its day in court before Perpetua Resources and its financiers rush ahead and make irreversible changes to this special area.\u201d<\/p>\n The Stibnite site is 45 air miles from McCall, Idaho, adjacent to the Frank Church\u2013River of No Return Wilderness Area and is within the homelands of the Nez Perce Tribe. Perpetua\u2019s massive mine plan entails excavating three open pits. It would create 280 million tons of waste rock and include constructing a 475-foot tall, 120-million-ton tailings storage facility\u2014more than 1.5 times taller than the Statue of Liberty. One of the open pits would extend more than 720 feet beneath the riverbed of the East Fork South Fork Salmon River. Perpetua would also build an extensive web of roads, power lines, and other industrial infrastructure across public lands to reach the remote mine site.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re seeking to prevent this special part of Idaho from being irreversibly damaged before the legal process has run its course,\u201d said Bryan Hurlbutt, staff attorney at Advocates for the West and counsel for the conservation groups. \u201cOur preliminary injunction motion asks the Court to preserve the status quo until it issues a final ruling in the lawsuit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRushing to construct the mine is just one more instance of Perpetua putting its profits first, instead of being the \u2018good neighbor\u2019 the company pitches to the community,\u201d said Judy Anderson of Save the South Fork Salmon.<\/p>\n \u201cIn light of Perpetua\u2019s push to begin full construction, court intervention is necessary to protect critical habitat in the South Fork Salmon watershed from damages that simply cannot be undone,\u201d said Nick Kunath, Conservation Director at Idaho Rivers United. \u201cThis watershed and all that it provides deserves much more than allowing Perpetua to plow forward with damaging activities before the case before the court has had a chance to be resolved.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe rush to make a profit is not more important than the law,\u201d said Jared Naimark, Western Mining Senior Manager at Earthworks. \u201cLegal protections exist to ensure the South Fork of the Salmon River, our National Forests, and the animals that call these lands and waters home are taken care of for generations to come. The proposed Burntlog route is an unlawfully approved second access road. It would damage protected roadless areas and streams and harm endangered wolverine and bull trout. Perpetua Resources must not construct the road before the courts have decided whether the project is allowable. That damage can\u2019t be undone once it happens.\u201d<\/p>\n ###<\/p>\n Save the South Fork Salmon strives to protect and preserve the ecological, cultural, and economic resources of the South Fork of the Salmon River watershed and the well-being of the people that depend on them for generations to come.<\/p>\n www.savethesouthforksalmon.com<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n Idaho Conservation League\u2019s mission is to create a conservation community and pragmatic, enduring solutions that protect and restore the air you breathe, the water you drink, and the land and wildlife you love.<\/p>\n www.idahoconservation.org<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n Advocates for the West is a non-profit, public interest environmental law firm headquartered in Boise, Idaho, that works to defend public lands, water, fish and wildlife throughout the American West.<\/p>\n www.advocateswest.org<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n Idaho Rivers United\u2019s mission is to protect and restore the rivers and fisheries of Idaho, and is the only conservation organization in the state focused exclusively on the health and protection of river resources.<\/p>\n www.idahorivers.org<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n Earthworks mission is to protect communities and the environment against the adverse impacts of mineral and energy development while seeking sustainable solutions.<\/p>\n www.earthworks.org<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.7 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.<\/p>\nCoalition of Conservation Groups Asks Court to Halt Construction of Stibnite Gold Mine<\/strong><\/h3>\n