Montana residents have until Friday, August 14 to weigh in on a proposed tungsten exploration project in the Flint Creek region, where an Australian mining company is seeking permission to drill in a remote alpine basin east of Phillipsburg.
The Project
Iris Metals, headquartered in Australia, is proposing an exploration operation in Finley Basin, situated at the base of Racetrack Peak — a 9,500-foot summit in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. Tributaries from the basin drain into Flint Creek, a watershed that runs through the surrounding valley.
The footprint of the exploration site itself is roughly one acre. Under the proposal, crews would drill up to 16 holes in search of tungsten deposits, a metal used widely in industrial and defense applications.
Because the terrain is remote and lacks road access suitable for heavy equipment, Iris Metals has proposed flying in water by helicopter — up to 12,000 gallons per day — to support drilling operations that would pass through pockets of groundwater beneath the basin floor.
Environmental Review
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality drafted an environmental assessment of the project and concluded that no significant environmental impacts are likely to result from the exploration activities. That determination opens a formal public comment window before any final decision is made on whether to authorize the work.
The DEQ’s review is standard for projects of this type, particularly those that involve drilling through groundwater-bearing geology in a national forest setting. The Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest covers a large swath of southwestern Montana and contains numerous historic and active mining claims dating back to the territorial era.
How to Comment
The public comment period closes this Friday, August 14. Residents, landowners, and other interested parties may submit written comments by mail or electronically.
Mailed comments should be addressed to: Department of Environmental Quality, Mining Bureau, Field Services and Technology Section, 2401 Colonial Drive, Helena, MT 59601.
Electronic submissions may be sent to: deqmepa@mt.gov
Broader Context
Tungsten is classified as a critical mineral by the federal government, and domestic exploration interest has grown as supply chains for the metal — heavily concentrated in China — have drawn scrutiny in Washington. That broader policy backdrop has increased attention on projects like this one, even at the exploration stage.
For local communities in Granite County, mining has long been part of the economic and cultural landscape. Phillipsburg itself grew from silver mining activity in the late 1800s, and the Flint Creek Valley has seen periodic interest from mineral developers over the decades. Whether this exploration effort advances to a full production proposal would depend on what the drilling reveals.
The DEQ’s finding of no significant impact does not automatically guarantee project approval, and public comments submitted before the Friday deadline could influence the agency’s final determination. Residents concerned about potential effects on Flint Creek water quality or watershed health are among those most likely to engage in the process.
The Flint Creek watershed has faced water-quality scrutiny in previous years related to historic mining activity upstream, making any new drilling proposal in the drainage a matter of local interest beyond the immediate project site.
