Montana regulators are proposing a settlement over alleged illegal mining activity at the former Zortman-Landusky gold mine in north-central Montana.
Under the proposed agreement, the state Department of Environmental Quality would accept a 200-thousand-dollar payment from mining investors Luke Ployhar and Owen Voigt and their companies — less than half of the original fine issued in 2022. The agreement does not require an admission of wrongdoing.
State regulators had previously accused the companies of conducting unauthorized exploration work that risked worsening acid rock drainage at the long-polluted mine site. The companies deny violating the law and say the settlement avoids costly litigation.
The proposal is already facing opposition from the Fort Belknap Indian Community, which says the agreement fails to address long-term environmental damage and ongoing water pollution tied to the mine.
The Zortman-Landusky mine, abandoned after Pegasus Gold declared bankruptcy in 1998, remains one of Montana’s most expensive cleanup sites. Taxpayers have spent more than 63 million dollars on reclamation and water treatment efforts over the past two decades.
