Page 10 - Flathead Beacon // 8.5.15

NEWS
Despite Opposition, Forest Service Green Lights Montanore Mine Mines Management CEO Glenn Dobbs says more than 30 miners could be hired to work underground this fall
BY JUSTIN FRANZ OF THE BEACON
More than 30 miners could be working beneath the Cabinet Mountains by the end of the year, according to the CEO and president of the company developing the Montanore Mine south of Libby.
Mines Management Inc.’s Glenn Dobbs made the statement just days after an official with the U.S. Forest Service announced the proposed copper and silver mine would be in compliance with federal regulations.
“We’re very pleased with the decision and are look- ing forward to working on the project and hiring a num- ber of local people,” Dobbs said.
In March, the U.S. Forest Service issued its final envi- ronmental impact statement and draft record of deci- sion for the Montanore project. The public was then given the opportunity to comment on the draft decision. On July 22, Deputy Regional Forester David E. Schmid issued a letter responding to the objectors.
“I have reviewed all of the assertions that the proj- ect violates various environmental laws, regulations, polices, and the Forest Plan,” Schmid wrote. “My review finds the project will be in compliance with all
applicable laws.”
While Dobbs and supporters of the mine celebrated
the decision, environmental groups were critical of the announcement. Groups like the Clark Fork Coalition and Earthworks have said it is inappropriate to develop a mine underneath a wilderness area.
“These are very serious deficiencies,” said Bonnie Gestring of Earthworks. “The Forest Service has put the cart before the horse in drawing a conclusion before all the impacts have been determined.”
Schmid’s letter signaled that the final record of deci- sion could be coming soon. Dobbs said he expects the decision sometime in September. Once that happens, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality is expected to issue the appropriate permits to begin developing the mine. Dobbs said Mines Management would hire 30 to 35 people within a month of receiving the final permits.
Once miners get underground, they will begin to dewater the exploratory adit and start working on the mine evaluation and feasibility study. Dobbs said that process will take anywhere from 20 to 24 months.
Mining officials say the Montanore Mine could
Denver Winslow, project manager at the Montanore Mine, right, describes the ventilation system while standing outside the atit with Glenn Dobbs, president and CEO of Mines Management, Inc. BEACON FILE PHOTO
produce 7 million ounces of silver and 60 million pounds of copper annually and employ about 350 people.
[email protected]
numerous awards, including Fulbright Scholar (twice), ASU Professor of the Year by the ASU Parents’ Asso- ciation, foreign member of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters and the G.E. Hutchinson Award, ASLO’s most prestigious award for research accom- plishment. He has an exemplary record of earning research grants, including multimillion dollar awards from the National Science Foundation and NASA.
Elser earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from University of Notre Dame, his master’s in ecology from the University of Tennessee and his doctorate in ecology from the University of California, Davis.
Opened in 1899, the Flathead Lake Biological Station is a field research and education facility of the Univer- sity of Montana located at Yellow Bay. It is the oldest active biological station in the U.S.
[email protected]
Biological Station Announces New Director Internationally renowned freshwater ecologist to succeed Jack Stanford
BY BEACON STAFF
James “Jim” Elser, an internationally renowned freshwater ecologist, will become the next director of the University of Montana’s century-old Flathead Lake Biological Station, according to the university.
UM President Royce Engstrom announced July 29 that Elser had accepted the position. Elser, a lake ecol- ogist who serves as a Regents’ Professor at Arizona State University, was selected for the position after an exten- sive international search.
“The Flathead Lake Biological Station is really well- known in my field of limnology as an amazing place to work and study,” Elser said. “I was drawn to the posi- tion by that reputation, including the terrific research program established by Jack Stanford and the other bio station faculty, but it was all solidified when I visited. The location is unrivaled, facilities are impressive, the
station is impeccably maintained, and, perhaps most importantly, the staff is so outstanding and so clearly committed to the mission of the station.”
Elser will begin his new duties Dec. 1, though he will not be in residence at the station until March 1, 2016.
He will succeed Stanford, who will remain director until Elser arrives and then stay on until June 1 as a UM faculty member to complete research, write and mentor his final graduate students. Stanford plans to retire in June after serving the university for 44 years.
“I hope to bring a broad interdisciplinary and inter- national vision to the station,” Elser said. “Globally, freshwaters are a critically important resource for our very survival, and lakes especially are central in pro- viding economic, cultural and social value. This is espe- cially true for Flathead Lake, which is a treasure of Mon- tana and the whole Northwest.”
Elser is a highly acclaimed scholar who has won
10
AUGUST 5, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM