Page 5 - Flathead Beacon // 1.28.15

FLATHEADBEACON.COM
NEWS
JANUARY 28, 2015 | 5
W•O•R•D•S of the Week
AN INDEX OF RECENT NEWSMAKERS
YELLOWSTONE RIVER
A pipeline breach allowed 30,000 gallons of crude oil to spill into the Yellowstone near Glendive, leaving 6,000 people temporarily without clean drinking water.
WATER COMPACT
Gov. Steve Bullock, respond- ing to the Flathead County Commission’s letter oppos- ing the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes water compact, wrote that the commission “significantly misunderstands” the issue. Commissioner Phil Mitchell, the driving force behind the letter, stands by his criticism.
SUPER BOWL
The debate over deflated footballs will likely continue, but the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will settle the NFL season in Arizona this Sunday during Super Bowl XLIX. The Se- ahawks are trying to become the first team to win consecu- tive championships since the Patriots from 2003-04.
DRONE
A government employee in Washington D.C. has copped to flying a small drone near the White House, and it crashed after hitting a tree in the South Lawn. The Secret Service is investigating.
As Copper Demand Wanes, Lincoln County’s Last Mine Closes
Revett Mining Company announces closure of Troy Mine, cutting more than 70 jobs
By JUSTIN FRANZ of the Beacon
A few decades ago, hundreds of people were employed in the mining industry in Lincoln County. Every day, men and wom- an would harness the power of massive in- dustrial machines to harvest the earth’s bounty, be it copper, silver or vermiculite.
The industry supported entire com- munities and became ingrained in the area’s proud heritage, with roots almost as deep at the timber trade.
Next month, when the last operat- ing mine closes, there will be fewer than a dozen people who make their living be- neath the earth’s surface.
On Jan. 19, the Revett Mining Com- pany announced it would shut down the Troy Mine, which leaves more than 70 people without jobs in an area already suf- fering from some of the highest unemploy- ment in the state.
“It is a very serious economic blow to
an area that is already severely economi- cally depressed,” said Lincoln County Commissioner Greg Larson, who repre- sents the Troy area.
While the decision to close the mine was made in Revett’s Spokane Valley, Washington offices, the forces that set that decision into motion began on the other side of the world. Revett CEO John Sha- nahan said that declining copper demand and prices meant the company could not economically operate the mine. The mine will continue to produce copper and sil-
See Troy Mine PAGE 20
A worker adjusts his final cleaners in the flotation room at the Troy Mine in Lincoln County.
BEACON FILE PHOTO