www.formationmetals.com

SITUATION
For the better part of 20 years, a Canadian mine development company, Formation Metals, has been on the long march to permit and operate what will be the only primary cobalt mine in North America. Cobalt is a truly “green” metal, a necessary component in modern products including wind turbines and hybrid car batteries. Formation had staked its cobalt claim on the public land in the mid 1990s, but they were still fighting through the paperwork in 2007. Formation hired Gallatin to provide public affairs assistance and strategic communications services in conjunction with the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process.

STRATEGY
No project this big can succeed without careful attention to environmental and community concerns. Integrated into Formation’s team, we worked with company executives and staff, as well as technical and legal advisors, to develop and execute a comprehensive strategy to navigate NEPA and related environmental processes, with the ultimate goal being to secure the necessary permits to open and operate the mine.

OUTCOME
During the agency’s official comment period, submittals favoring the mine outnumbered those opposed by a 15-1 ratio. Formation received the final authorization to begin construction on the project in 2010. Hundreds will be employed during construction and when fully operational, the mine will create 150 family-wage jobs in a part of the rural West where such jobs are in short supply.

There is a lot to be said for persistence; for staying with a good idea even when it takes time, energy and resources to bring that idea to reality. Thanks to the Idaho Cobalt Project – soon the Idaho Cobalt Mine – the United States will be a primary producer of the metal lessening the world’s dependence on other cobalt producers like the Congo and China.