The U.S. Forest Service has tentatively approved the construction of a new copper and silver mine in Lincoln County.
The Kootenai National Forest on Thursday issued a final environmental impact statement and draft record of decision that approves the Montanore Mine, a controversial project that has sat dormant for decades roughly 18 miles south of Libby near the Cabinet Mountains.
The proposal is open to public comment before a final decision from the Forest Service will be issued. It would also still need approval from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, which would also oversee the mine located on federal land south of Libby.
“We’re very happy to see 10 years of hard work on the part of the U.S. Forest Service, Montana Department of Environmental Quality and our own company come to fruition,” Mines Management, Inc. CEO Glenn Dobbs said. “We are thrilled to death.”
The Montanore Mine was initially developed in the 1980s. Falling copper and silver prices shuttered the project in the 1990s before its completion. In the early 2000s, Spokane, Washington-based Mines Management picked up the unfinished project and has been trying to permit it ever since.
Final approval of the mine could provide a needed boost to the economy of Lincoln County, which has struggled with the highest unemployment rates in the state in recent years.
“This is welcome news for Lincoln County and the Libby community,” Montana U.S. Sen. Steve Daines said. “This long-awaited project will support hundreds of good-paying jobs and increase economic opportunity in northwestern Montana. I look forward to seeing this job-creating project move ahead and and will continue to monitor its status closely.”
Libby Mayor Doug Roll also said it was welcome news for the area, especially in the wake of the Troy Mine shuttering and the winding down of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund cleanup.
“Any employment would be a great thing for Libby,” Roll said. “Cautiously optimistic is a good way of putting it.”
Environmental groups have raised concerns in the past about the mine’s impacts to wildlife and the adjacent Cabinet Mountains Wilderness. Approximately 1,500 acres of mainly National Forest System lands would be disturbed by facilities for the proposed project.
The proposed operation would initially mine and process 12,500 tons of ore per day with a full production rate of 20,000 tons of ore per day, according to the Forest Service. Company officials say the mine could produce 7 million ounces of silver and 60 million pounds of copper annually.
More than 450 people could be employed during construction of the mine and once it is up to full production 350 miners would be working underground. At predicted production levels, a 16-year mine life is anticipated.
Dobbs said if the final record of decision is released late this summer at least 30 people would be hired to begin work on the Libby Adit by the end of the year.
Forest Service approval may not be the only hurdle left for the mine. A group led by former Gov. Brian Schweitzer has said it has legitimate mine claims in the area and on March 25, representatives from Mines Management met with the group to try and resolve the issue. Dobbs said that both sides were still “far apart” in their positions and that a trial has been set for April 8, when they will make separate cases before a commission of experts.
The first phase of the project would be the evaluation phase, which is an 18-to 24-month underground expansion of the existing Libby Adit to evaluate the orebody and hydrogeologic conditions underground. The evaluation phase would be followed by construction, operations and reclamation phases of the project.
“The final Environmental Impact Statement and draft Record of Decision is the culmination of many years of dedication and effort on the part of Forest Service employees and the participating agencies,” Kootenai Forest Supervisor Chris Savage said. “Now we can begin the objection process so that the public has a chance to review and provide substantive comments during the next phase of this process.”
»»» Click here to read the draft Record of Decision and final EIS.
The public can send comments on the project to the USFS in Missoula. All comments must be sent to USDA Forest Service, Northern Region, 200 East Broadway, Missoula, Montana or via email to [email protected].
All comments must have “Montanore Project Objection” in the subject line and be sent within 45 days.
The tentative approval of the Montanore Mine comes at a turbulent time for Lincoln County’s mining industry. In January, the Revett Mining Company announced it would be closing the Troy Mine due to declining copper and silver demand. Dobbs said declining prices would not impact his company’s decision to open up the Montanore Mine.
“You can’t see the price of copper go up and then suddenly decide that you’re going to open up a mine,” Dobbs said. “It’s a long process to open up a mine and you develop it when you can. If the price of copper is up when you start production, well then that’s a bonus.”