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Mining rejected near Mount St. Helens
May 20, 2008
Bureau of Land Management officials have rejected an application for hardrock mining on environmentally sensitive land at the edge of Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.
Idaho General Minds, now merged with and named General Moly Inc., applied for a hardrock mining lease in March 2005. On March 14, 2007, BLM issued a preliminary hardrock mineral lease to Idaho General Mines for land on the northeastern edge of Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.
Detractors argued that a mine on this land would harm water quality in the nearby Green and Cowlitz Rivers — used by Southwest Washington residents and by endangered salmon and steelhead. Other observers charged that mining would reduce recreation opportunities in the area and cause erosion.
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