By Blair Miller, Daily Montanan
The Montana Supreme Court heard arguments Friday morning in Missoula on the second part of a challenge to permits granted by the state to a mining company that wants to build a copper mine near White Sulphur Springs in a water drainage above the renowned Smith River.
The two sides in the case say the justices’ decision will be important when it comes to future permitting for mines, how the Water Use Act is interpreted when it comes to water rights, and whether a 14-million-ton copper mine should be permitted in a closed basin where water rights have already been over-allocated.
