Our guiding principle on this front is to help the local community become who it wants to be for the next three generations. We are taking several proactive approaches to ensure an economically and socially viable community after the mine is complete. First, in Montana we are fortunate to have the Hard Rock Mining Impact Plan (HRMIP) Act which necessitates planning with the community and making money available to them for transitioning the community out of mining after mine closure and reclamation. Second, we helped create the Meagher County Stewardship Council to oversee the mine on behalf of the community; one of their priorities is establishing long lasting return to the community. Additionally, increased tax revenues generated during the life of the mine will result in city and county infrastructure upgrades providing benefits long after mine closure. Finally, we encourage community members to use this time of increased prosperity during mining to develop new opportunities for themselves.

The State of Montana requires any company that wants to mine to pay for a bond that covers the complete cost of reclamation before they can begin construction of the mine. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) establishes the bond amount. Over many years of mining in Montana, the DEQ has gained a clear understanding of the costs required to close a mine. They calculate the bond amount based on 3rd party reclamation costs for worst-case reclamation scenario for each part of the project for fully reclaiming the property. The Company is required to post the full amount before it can begin mine construction. Initial bonding for Black Butte Copper covers Phase 1 of development which includes construction of some initial surface facilities and some roads. This bond is currently set at $4.6 million. The company must post a second much larger bond amount to cover a second phase of development which includes the majority of surface facilities and the underground mining needed to access the copper deposit which the DEQ has not calculated yet. Once set, the bonding level is reviewed every year and is completely recalculated every 5 years.

Sandfire must carry out and pay for all reclamation activities during operations and following mine closure as required by law. As a safety net for the citizens of Montana, if for some unforeseen reason this cannot happen, the State of Montana requires mining companies to provide adequate reclamation bonding to cover the costs of third-party reclamation of the site on behalf of the state of Montana.

The reclamation process will return all disturbed land back to historic ranch use- primarily cattle grazing. The mill and portal area and all roadways will be reclaimed with all buildings and facilities removed and the plant site is taken down. The cemented tailings facility is sealed inside a 100-mil liner and covered with several feet of subsoil and topsoil and then revegetated. The company will fill underground mined areas with cemented paste backfill during the course of mine, and after mining water tables will return to pre-mining levels.