BOZEMAN, MONTANA The Greater Yellowstone Coalition announced an ambitious campaign this week to buy out a mining company on the northern border of Yellowstone National Park, according to a …
The Montana Supreme Court has denied an appeal brought by Canadian mining company Lucky Minerals, effectively voiding its permit to conduct exploratory drilling for gold in a remote area north of Yellowstone National Park.
Tuesday’s ruling marked the
culmination of a years-long campaign to prevent mining in the Emigrant Gulch area. Popularized by a “Yellowstone is more valuable than gold” rallying cry, the campaign garnered endorsements from more than 400
local businesses and drew support from
the U.S. Department of Interior
and U.S. Congress.
In siding with plaintiffs Park County Environmental Council and Greater Yellowstone Coalition, the state Supreme Court unanimously reaffirmed a lower court’s 2018 ruling that the Montana Department of Environmental Quality did not conduct adequate analysis on the potential environmental impacts of exploratory drilling operations in Emigrant Gulch.