Rock Creek Mine set to open as “mirror” of Troy Mine

Revett Minerals is set to begin building on the Rock Creek Mine site. In a presentation to the Troy and Libby communities, President Bill Orchow and Vice-president Carson Rife outlined the basic argument for public approval of the operation.

The presentation, made almost entirely by Rife, argued that the mine would be a “mirror of Troy Mine.” He presented data and information on Troy Mine's impact on the local economy and workforce while presenting the new operation as a “clean deposit site” with little impact on the surrounding environment.

The company is expecting to hire approximately 300 employees and provide almost $2 million to Libby in supply costs alone. In addition, $30 million will pour into the local economy over 30 years, according to the presentation.

While there was general approval in the Troy High School auditorium where the presentation was held, a non-profit group called the Rock Creek Alliance has been working vigorously to see that the company is unable to open the site. The organization argues that “this large-scale mine's devastating impacts to a unique national treasure make it a poster child for irresponsible mining,” according to their Web site, www.rockcreekalliance.org .

The copper and silver mine falls on 148 acres of U.S. Forest Service land, with the rest of the property being privately owned. But in December, the Forest Service gave Revett Minerals the go-ahead to use the land for mining purposes without citing any environmental concerns.

The cost of the mine is approximately $13.5 million with a budget that includes several environmental safeguards. Of those funds, $2.5 million will go toward “grizzly bear mitigation” and the funding of two biologists and a law enforcement agent to survey the area and make sure grizzlies are not affected by the mine's presence.

Rife also addressed the fatality of Michael E. Ivins that occurred at Troy Mine in July 2007. Showing the total absence of any loss of time accidents since the fatality, Rife assured listeners that the mine would be safe and up to federal standards.

Troy Mine is slated to be shut down in 2015. But Revett Minerals is looking into using the existing site for a different business that could make polymer blocks with materials left over from the mine operation.

When asked how confident the president was that the mine would open this time, after 21 years of legal and bureaucratic delay, Orchow responded, “It's going to happen.”