LAPWAI, ID — The Nez Perce Tribe is voicing strong opposition following the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to issue a Clean Water Act Section 404 permit for the Stibnite Gold Project, a proposed open-pit mine in the East Fork South Fork Salmon River watershed. The area, which lies within the Tribe’s homeland, supports critical habitat for Chinook salmon, steelhead, and bull trout—species listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

In a statement issued Wednesday, Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee Chairman Shannon F. Wheeler called the project “an imminent threat” to the Tribe’s treaty rights and natural resources. “Knowing the scope of Perpetua’s mine plan and the harm it will cause to the Tribe, we cannot understand how the Army Corps issued this permit,” Wheeler said.

The Section 404 permit allows Perpetua Resources Corporation to discharge dredged or fill material into Waters of the United States, including wetlands and streams. The Tribe argues the project will significantly degrade aquatic ecosystems in violation of the Clean Water Act. Plans include inundating 423 acres of Meadow Creek valley—an important tributary to the East Fork South Fork Salmon River—behind a 475-foot-tall impoundment of waste rock and toxic mine tailings.

The U.S. Forest Service had previously authorized mining activities on federally managed lands tied to the project. The Tribe noted that the Army Corps’ decision appeared to follow deadlines set by a Trump-era executive order focused on increasing American mineral production. The project was also identified by the FAST-41 Permitting Council in April as a priority for expedited review.

“The Tribe is not aware of any valid reason for the Army Corps or any other agency to speed up the permitting process for this mine,” Wheeler said. “Perpetua’s continued focus on antimony and critical minerals does not change the fact that this is a gold mine, plain and simple.”

The Tribe stated it plans to carefully review the full decision by the Army Corps and is questioning whether the agency followed legal requirements in issuing the permit.