State of Montana Newsroom
DEQ Releases Final Environmental Assessment for Montana Limestone Resources, LLC
HELENA—The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has released a final Environmental Assessment for Montana Limestone Resources, LLC’s proposed limestone quarry and lime plant. The quarry and plant would be located about 2.5 miles west of Drummond, Mont., in Granite County. The final Environmental Assessment analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the proposed action (alternative 2) along with the No Action Alternative (alternative 1), as required by the Montana Environmental Policy Act.
Montana Limestone Resources, LLC originally submitted an Operating Permit Application to DEQ in 2014 for the construction and operation of a proposed 546.4-acre limestone quarry. The original application was revised several times in 2017 and 2018. The operation would consist of a pit, plant, waste stockpiles, topsoil stockpiles, impoundments, haul roads adn an access road to the mine.
DEQ held a 30-day public comment period on the draft document in November of 2019. Postcards with information on the draft Environmental Assessment, and comment period, were sent to nearby landowners and interested parties.
DEQ has identified the proposed action as the agency’s preferred alternative. The final document includes responses to substantive comments submitted during the public comment period, along with minor edits and corrections to the draft. The final Environmental Assessment is available for review on DEQ’s website at: http://deq.mt.gov/mining/hardrock/mlr_apppg
The final Environmental Assessment is not a decision document. The Decision Letter, which documents DEQ’s decision on the project, will be issued independent of the final Environmental Assessment at a later date and will be made available to the public at DEQ’s website listed above. For more information contact: Moira Davin at (406) 444-6360 or by email at: Moira.Davin@mt.gov