U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) on Oct. 3 commended the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) for approving the advancement of the Libby Exploration Project, a copper and silver deposit in Lincoln County, Mont.
“The Libby Exploration Project will provide good-paying Montana mining jobs without harming our beautiful lands and will help unlock the high value of world class copper and silver,” Sen. Daines said. “President Trump’s administration has proven yet again that they are committed to protecting Made-In-Montana energy and supporting Montana miners.”
The Libby Exploration Project — formally known as the Montanore project in Lincoln County — is operated by the Hecla Mining Co. The USFS approval will allow the company to de-water and rehabilitate the existing 14,000-feet underground access tunnel and to extend it another 10,500 feet to establish another 35 drilling platforms.
From these platforms, the company will evaluate the hydrologic and geochemical conditions over a five-year period and assess the economic value of the mineralization, according to a Feb. 10 letter Sen. Daines and several colleagues sent to USFS Chief Randy Moore seeking the approval of the Libby Exploration Project.
Once drilling and analysis of future underground mining operations is complete, reclamation activities will be carried out as the company evaluates the feasibility of developing a new mine and prepares permit applications for that effort, the letter says, noting that the project has long-standing community support and will help provide much-needed jobs to the region.
“I look forward to seeing the positive impacts this project will have on our state and our nation as we continue to unlock America’s full mining potential,” said Sen. Daines last week after USFS issued its 93-page approval on Oct. 3.