The effects of irresponsible mining are still felt strongly in Montana. Abandoned and inactive mines litter the state, leaving behind scarred landscapes and contaminated water. MEIC is a respected leader in mining reform, and is the Montana partner in the Western Mining Reform Campaign, which aims to make sweeping changes in mining reform across the West.

MEIC will continue to protect Montana from cyanide-leach gold mining, publicize the need to give abandoned and inactive mines a higher priority, prohibit mining in sensitive ecosystems and require that all mines be fully reclaimed, particularly the Golden Sunlight, Zortman/Landusky, and Kendall mines. MEIC will vigorously defend I-137—the citizen-passed law that prohibits new open pit, cyanide-leach mines in Montana—against attempts by Canyon Resources (the company behind the 7Up Pete mine on the Blackfoot River) and the legislature to repeal the law.

MEIC works with government agencies to ensure complete reclamation of all mine sites and require adequate bonding so that mining companies bear the full burden of mine reclamation. Currently we are waging a campaign to prohibit the practice of allowing perpetual water treatment at new metal mines.

Photo: Montana Tunnels Mine, taken on a Lighthawk flight.