Sandfire Resources America has announced that the Black Butte underground copper mining project in the US state of Montana has received a record of decision (RoD) for operating the mine.
The operating permit has been issued by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (MTDEQ) to Sandfire.
With the RoD permit in hand, Sandfire and its subsidiary Tintina Montana can now proceed with developing and mining the Johnny Lee deposit at the Black Butte project.
Besides the RoD, the company has also received its preliminary air quality permit and a Montana pollution discharge elimination system permit.
The MTDEQ has 40 days to finalise a financial bond calculation, which, once done, will pave the way for construction and production at Black Butte.
“Our project design robustly meets and exceeds some of the strictest environmental requirements for mining worldwide and demonstrates that 21st Century mining and environmental excellence can go hand-in-hand.”