State says it will not seek ownership of Montana Tunnels

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality says it will not seek ownership of the defunct Montana Tunnels mine, which Jefferson County recently moved to acquire through a tax deed on more than a decade of unpaid property taxes, and which county officials worried could be subject to competing ownership claims from the county and the DEQ.

DEQ Public Information Specialist Kevin Stone said in a phone interview on Tuesday that the agency is “working closely with the county” and doesn’t see DEQ ownership of the mine as a viable path.

“We’re interested in finding a path that is the path that meets the needs of everyone,” Stone said. “A key part of that is we are not seeking ownership of the mine.”