BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — Federal and state agencies have received nearly 6,000 public comments on a Canadian company's proposal to explore the possibility of building a gold mine near Yellowstone National Park.
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports the U.S. Forest Service received about 4,100 comments and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality received another 1,700 by Thursday's deadline.
Lucky Minerals Inc. wants to search for precious metals on federal and private land near Emigrant Peak in the Paradise Valley.
After reviewing the comments, the agencies will decide what level of environmental analysis is necessary for the project.
Conservation groups are urging a stringent analysis of the potential effects on water quality and wildlife habitat, while Lucky Minerals says the exploratory work would have minimal effect on the environment.