News Release: Coalition of Conservation Groups Asks Court to Halt Construction of Stibnite Gold Mine
For Immediate Release: Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Contacts:
John Robison, Idaho Conservation League, (208) 345-6933 x 213
Nick Kunath, Idaho Rivers United, (208) 908-9232
Fred Coriell, Save the South Fork Salmon, (208) 315-3630
Jared Naimark, Earthworks, (650) 213-8052
Marc Fink, Senior Attorney, Center for Biological Diversity, (218) 464-0539
Coalition of Conservation Groups Asks Court to Halt Construction of Stibnite Gold Mine
Boise, ID — A coalition of local and national conservation groups filed a motion preliminary injunction last Friday to halt Perpetua Resource’s pending construction of the Stibnite Gold Project: an open-pit cyanide leach gold mine in the headwaters of the South Fork of the Salmon River. The motion asks to halt construction of the mine on public lands, including constructing a new access road cutting through Idaho’s Salmon River Mountains, in order to protect the environment and “threatened” species.
In February 2025, the conservation groups filed suit in federal district court against the U. S. Forest Service for violating the National Environmental Protection Act and other bedrock environmental laws in approving the mine, which would be located mostly on National Forest lands. The lawsuit is also against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for violating the Endangered Species Act by failing to protect threatened bull trout, wolverine, and whitebark pine. The Forest Service’s own analysis shows that the project area would not be restored as Perpetua claims but would actually be worse off if the project proceeds—even if the proposed restoration work goes perfectly according to plan.
Last fall, the conservation groups and Perpetua reached an agreement allowing limited pre-construction activities to occur while the lawsuit was being briefed. Briefing concluded earlier this year (see “Case Filings” here). Perpetua now seeks to commence “full construction” at the end of May, without waiting for a final decision from the Court.
Among other initial mine construction activities, Perpetua has indicated it will start constructing the Burntlog Route: a second and new access road to the mine site, through protected roadless and riparian areas and threatened species habitat. Perpetua would reconstruct and widen 23 miles of existing road on National Forest to be approximately four times wider than standard roads in the area to accommodate industrial mine traffic. To complete the Route, Perpetua would also build 15 miles of new road through remote wildlife habitat, mostly in inventoried roadless areas.
“The South Fork Salmon River and everything and everyone who depends on it are at risk if the government allows our public lands to be monetized to benefit billionaires,” said John Robison, Public Lands and Wildlife Director for the Idaho Conservation League. “We believe the South Fork Salmon River deserves its day in court before Perpetua Resources and its financiers rush ahead and make irreversible changes to this special area.”
The Stibnite site is 45 air miles from McCall, Idaho, adjacent to the Frank Church–River of No Return Wilderness Area and is within the homelands of the Nez Perce Tribe. Perpetua’s massive mine plan entails excavating three open pits. It would create 280 million tons of waste rock and include constructing a 475-foot tall, 120-million-ton tailings storage facility—more than 1.5 times taller than the Statue of Liberty. One of the open pits would extend more than 720 feet beneath the riverbed of the East Fork South Fork Salmon River. Perpetua would also build an extensive web of roads, power lines, and other industrial infrastructure across public lands to reach the remote mine site.
“We’re seeking to prevent this special part of Idaho from being irreversibly damaged before the legal process has run its course,” said Bryan Hurlbutt, staff attorney at Advocates for the West and counsel for the conservation groups. “Our preliminary injunction motion asks the Court to preserve the status quo until it issues a final ruling in the lawsuit.”
“Rushing to construct the mine is just one more instance of Perpetua putting its profits first, instead of being the ‘good neighbor’ the company pitches to the community,” said Judy Anderson of Save the South Fork Salmon.
“In light of Perpetua’s push to begin full construction, court intervention is necessary to protect critical habitat in the South Fork Salmon watershed from damages that simply cannot be undone,” said Nick Kunath, Conservation Director at Idaho Rivers United. “This watershed and all that it provides deserves much more than allowing Perpetua to plow forward with damaging activities before the case before the court has had a chance to be resolved.”
“The rush to make a profit is not more important than the law,” said Jared Naimark, Western Mining Senior Manager at Earthworks. “Legal protections exist to ensure the South Fork of the Salmon River, our National Forests, and the animals that call these lands and waters home are taken care of for generations to come. The proposed Burntlog route is an unlawfully approved second access road. It would damage protected roadless areas and streams and harm endangered wolverine and bull trout. Perpetua Resources must not construct the road before the courts have decided whether the project is allowable. That damage can’t be undone once it happens.”
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Save the South Fork Salmon strives to protect and preserve the ecological, cultural, and economic resources of the South Fork of the Salmon River watershed and the well-being of the people that depend on them for generations to come.
www.savethesouthforksalmon.com
Idaho Conservation League’s mission is to create a conservation community and pragmatic, enduring solutions that protect and restore the air you breathe, the water you drink, and the land and wildlife you love.
Advocates for the West is a non-profit, public interest environmental law firm headquartered in Boise, Idaho, that works to defend public lands, water, fish and wildlife throughout the American West.
Idaho Rivers United’s mission is to protect and restore the rivers and fisheries of Idaho, and is the only conservation organization in the state focused exclusively on the health and protection of river resources.
Earthworks mission is to protect communities and the environment against the adverse impacts of mineral and energy development while seeking sustainable solutions.
The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.7 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
American Rivers is championing a national effort to protect and restore all rivers, from remote mountain streams to urban waterways.
