In 2023, NPS official Frank Lands explicitly ordered the mine to cease and desist any activities other than water quality monitoring. Now it has been given full permission by the BLM to resume its operation.
“Mining is one of the most destructive land-based activities,” Jeff Ruch, legal counsel for PEER, told GearJunkie. “[It] degrades soil, vegetation, and water, and carries with it the prospect of significant toxic contamination.”