A Montanore milestone

The release of the biological opinion for the Montanore Mine project by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service leaves only the Environmental Impact Statement and the Record of Decision remaining for permitting.

“We feel like we have reached the pinnacle,” said Eric Klepfer, the permitting consultant for the Montanore Mine project. “The peak is just ahead of us. We’re really excited, everyone is. The fact that it was a non-jeopardy decision is really satisfying.”

Klepfer said he expects the preliminary Final Environmental Impact Statement to be completed in June and a final document with a Record of Decision by the final quarter of the year.

“Certainly, this is one of the critical milestones that moves us forward,” Klepfer said. “It’s particularly pleasing that (the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service) met the March 31 deadline like they promised (U.S. Rep. Steve) Daines’ office.”

LeRoy Thom, owner of Montana Machine and among the people who traveled to Missoula this week to lobby the U.S. Forest Service regional forester on behalf of Montanore, took the news in stride.

“It’s a step closer,” Thom said. “We met with the regional forester  this week to talk about this. We’ve still got some hurdles to complete, but we’ve heard they’re looking at October.”

Upon hearing of the release of the biological opinion, Libby Mayor Doug Roll, while happy another item can be checked off the list, saw humor in the phrasing.

“You know, that phrase ‘non-jeopardy decision,’ is what (now retired U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service official) Mark Wilson initially told us about needing another permit for the new dam,” Roll said. “Seriously, though, I’m happy the project has moved another step closer. Libby needs the mine. Lincoln County needs the mine.”

Alvin Benitz, a member of the Montanore Positive Action Committee, said there still is work to be done.

“We’re still pushing the iceberg up the canyon, but we’re still pushing. You know, I live up there on Libby Creek Road, and I’m for this and so are a lot of our neighbors.”

The Montanore project is a silver and copper mine located in the upper reaches of the Libby Creek area, about 17 miles south of Libby.

In its opinion, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service concluded the project poses no jeopardy to endangered or threatened species, particularly the grizzly bear, bull trout and other species in the area around the project.

Klepfer said the final opinion was not that different from an earlier draft.

“The final BO did not change that much from an earlier version,” Klepfer said. “And, I think that bodes well for the (preliminary) Environmental Impact Statement. I think we’ll see that sometime in June, hopefully, sooner.”

A preliminary economic assessment for Montantore that was completed and filed in Canada in 2011 demonstrated a mine permitted to operate at up to 20,000 tons per day, operating initially at 12,500 tons per day, for at least 15 years.