By Amanda Eggert, Montana Free Press
The Montana Supreme Court on Friday heard oral arguments regarding a central Montana copper mine’s anticipated effect on regional water supplies.
The lawsuit stems from a dispute about a mine that Tintina (now Sandfire Resources) seeks to develop along a tributary of central Montana’s Smith River. State environmental regulators cleared the Black Butte Mine to proceed in 2020, but a coalition of environmental groups challenged the project in court, arguing that it poses a threat to water quality and water supply.
