American CuMo MiningCorp. said July 13 that an Idaho court upheld the U.S. Forest Service'sapproval of the company's exploration and development plans at the molybdenum-copper project inthe state.

The court directed the Forest Service to review an updated baselinesurvey for a sensitive plant species in the project area before issuing a decisionon its approval.

Three environmental groups, The Idaho Conservation League, IdahoRivers United and Golden Eagle Audubon Society, had filed a lawsuit early this year disputing the U.S. agency's October2015 approval of the company'splans at the site.

The U.S. District Court of Idaho has dismissed the claims thatexploration work at CuMo will harm groundwater, and found that the Forest Service'sanalysis and conclusions regarding groundwater satisfy National Environmental PolicyAct legislation, the company said.

American CuMo added it will proceed with its 2016 drill programin the near future after the incorporation of the plant baseline study into theForest Service approval.