U.S. Forest Service Taking Comment on Draft Record of Decision for Proposed Rock Creek Mine

The U.S. Forest Service released its final supplemental environmental impact statement and a draft record of decision for the proposed Rock Creek Mine near Noxon in June. The environmental impact statement and draft record of decision are now available for public review and comment through Aug. 17.

The documents released by the Kootenai National Forest represent the final hurdles before the Hecla Mining Company can start exploration and evaluation of the proposed copper and silver mine that has been in planning stages since the 1980s.

The proposed mine located underneath the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness has been the subject of numerous lawsuits over the years. A past environmental impact statement produced by federal agencies was challenged in court, and in 2010 a federal judge ordered the USFS to further research the mine’s potential impacts on endangered species in the area. State agencies, including the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, have already issued permits for the proposed mine, which remain in effect.

If no major concerns arise during the comment period, the USFS could issue its final record of decision for the mine in late 2017 or early 2018. Luke Russell, spokesperson for Hecla Mining, said the company is eagerly waiting to begin work on the project.

“We believe the federal agencies have done a great job on this revised supplemental environmental impact statement and that it properly responds to the court’s concerns,” he said. “We’re excited to be getting close to the evaluation phase.”

Once the final record of decision is issued, Hecla will begin crafting a plan of operations and evaluating mineral and water quality to ensure that work completed at the site complies with federal guidelines. Russell said the evaluation and exploration phase would take two to three years and include the construction of an exploratory adit, allowing miners to assess mineral quality at the site. Russell said Hecla could hire up to 80 people during the exploratory phase.

Environmental groups have long raised concerns about the development of the Rock Creek project and the nearby Montanore Mine, also owned by Hecla. Chief among their concerns is that the two mines — which if developed could produce more than 500 million ounces of silver and 4 billion pounds of copper in their lifetime — would dewater wilderness streams and negatively impact wildlife.

But Hecla officials said they believe the mines can be developed responsibly and point to work ongoing at the now-closed Troy Mine. Hecla is currently dismantling the mine and remediating the nearby tailings impoundment area.

“The Troy Mine gives us an opportunity to show the community what modern mine reclamation can be,” he says. “This mine is a great analog for what the Rock Creek and Montanore mines will look like.”

To review the Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Record of Decision, www.fs.usda.gov/detail/kootenai/home/?cid=stelprdb5327758.