Sheep Creek Rare Earth Exploration Proposal
The Bitterroot National Forest received a draft initial plan of operations for the Sheep Creek Project from US Critical Materials on December 5, 2025. The company recently rescinded its proposal and anticipates submitting a revised proposal by the end of April. The Forest will then conduct a completeness review to determine if the proposal is sufficient to conduct environmental analysis. Once a new proposal is received, the project timeline will be updated on the FAST-41 Transparency webpage. Sheep Creek FAST-41 Transparency webpage: https://www.permits.performance.gov/permitting-project/fast-41-transparency-projects/sheep-creek-project Visit this page to subscribe to project email updates: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r01/bitterroot/projects/signup
Project Summary
Location Summary:
This Rare Earth Exploration Proposal would take place in the Sheep Creek area of the West Fork Ranger District of the Bitterroot National Forest
Project Milestones:
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Scoping Start | 08/2026 (Estimated) |
| Decision | 07/2027 (Estimated) |
| Implementation | 10/2027 (Estimated) |
Expected Analysis Type:
Environmental Assessment
Special Authority:
Not Applicable / Other
Lead Management Unit:
Bitterroot National Forest All Units
Notice and Comment Regulation:
218 (2013) Non-HFRA
Project Purpose:
Minerals And Geology
Project Activity:
Minerals Or Geology Plans Of Operations
Current Status:
Developing Proposal
Forests:
Bitterroot National Forest
Districts:
West Fork Ranger District
States:
Montana
Counties:
Ravalli
Legal Land Description:
Not Applicable
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Daniel Pliley
1801 North First Street
Hamilton, MT 59840
4065876892
Daniel.Pliley@usda.gov
Last Updated: 3/27/2026