Groups file new lawsuit to stop Idaho gold mine drilling

By KEITH RIDLER
Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Two groups say the U.S. Forest Service violated environmental laws in approving exploratory drilling by a Canadian company hoping to build a gold mine in Idaho west of Yellowstone National Park. The Idaho Conservation League and Greater Yellowstone Coalition filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court last week to stop Excellon Idaho Gold’s Kilgore Gold Exploration Project in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. The environmental groups filed a similar lawsuit in 2018 to stop exploratory drilling and won. The Forest Service in November 2021 again approved the exploratory drilling. The U.S. Department of Justice, which defends federal agencies in lawsuits, didn’t immediately respond to an inquiry sent through its online portal.