Mine Timeline

TIMELINE

 

Past Activity related to General Moly Inc. (formerly Idaho General Mines, Inc.)

2004

  •  IGMI acquired a 50% interest in the Mount Margaret deposit

2005

  • March IGMI submitted application for a hardrock mining lease
  • April CFC organized coalition opposing mine
  • September CFC and coalition submit public comments on mine application

2006

  • June Castle Rock passed resolution opposing the mine
  • September Kelso passed resolution opposing the mine

2007

  • March Draft Environmental Assessment Released
  • May CFC and 16 coalition partners submitted EA comments

2008

  • January Longview passed resolution opposing the mine
  • February Over 33,000 public comments submitted to BLM – 99% opposed mine
  • April BLM denied lease application (Win #1)

Past Activity Related to Ascot Resources Ltd.

2010

  • March  Ascot Resources purchased mineral rights from General Moly
  • Spring Forest Service approved Ascot‘s drilling plan without EA
  • August Ascot began exploratory drilling (see photos of the 2010 drilling here)

2011

  • February  Ascot submitted a proposal for two prospecting permits
  • July CFC filed a complaint requesting full environmental review and injunction
  • July Forest Service suspended concurrence for drilling and halted drilling operations
  • October Ascot requested withdrawal of concurrence letter and NEPA review through BLM
  • October Case Dismissed (Win #2)
  • November Ascot amended permit application and submitted to BLM
  • December Senator Cantwell supported our efforts with a letter to the Forest Service and BLM

2012

2013

  • February CFC appealed decision
  • March USFS denied the administrative appeal
  • May CFC formally filed a complaint in federal district court against the BLM and Forest Service
  • June Ascot intervened in the case

2014

  • July  Judge ruled in favor of Task Force on the majority of our legal claims and issued a judgment declaring the prospecting permits illegal
  • September Ascot filed a notice of appeal
  • October BLM and Forest Service filed placeholder notice of appeal
  • December Forest Service, BLM, and Ascot Resources voluntarily dismissed their appeals of the court decision invalidating permits for the Goat Mountain mining exploration project. (Win #3)

2015

  • Ascot Resources begins working with the BLM to improve their permit application and prepare a new Environmental Assessment for exploratory drilling.

2016

  • January BLM and Forest Service released Goat Mountain Hard Rock Prospecting Permit Application’s Modified Environmental Assessment for public comment.
  • February  CFC and partners submitted comments on the modified EA.
  • March   Kelso votes for a resolution saying they oppose a mine, Sen Maria Cantwell publicly opposes mine in a letter to the Forest Service.
  • December CFC released a video about the campaign. Watch the video here.

2017

  • August The Forest Service releases a draft Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact to allow drilling within the Green River valley. 45-day objection period begins.
  • October CFC submits objection letter to Forest Service draft Decision Notice.

2018

  • January The Forest Service releases a statement on their decision to allow the permit process to move forward. Read the statement here.
  • December The Bureau of Land Management releases a Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact to allow exploratory drilling within the Green River valley.

2019

  • March CFC filed a complaint to the District Court of Oregon for vacatur or illegal agency decisions, declaratory and injunctive relief, commencing a lawsuit in an attempt to block the exploratory drilling permit.
  • April CFC filed a complaint in the District Court of Oregon for the agencies’ failure to respond to FOIA requests.
  • October CFC filed a brief for a motion for summary judgment in the District Court of Oregon.
  • November CFC filed briefs in response to Ascot and the Federal Government.
  • December CFC awaits a date for oral argument.

2020

  • October Oral arguments were held in October.

2021

  • February A Federal judge found that the prospecting permits issued to Ascot Resources by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management violated federal environmental law. The agencies requested a stay to conduct additional environmental analysis before the court rules on remedy. The stay is in place until November 2021. Ascot has agreed that there will be no prospecting during this time.

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