Montanore takes big step forward

The Kootenai National Forest has issued its Final Environmental Impact Statement and the Draft Record of Decision for the Montanore mine project.

The document, more than 400 pages in length, is a major milestone for the project, triggering the public comment and resolution phases, both of which are necessary steps before final permits can be issued by Montana’s Department of Environmental Quality.

Mines Management Inc. chief executive officer Glenn Dobbs said he hadn’t yet had time to read and analyze the document, but was pleased that the Forest Service met this updated release deadline.

“We’re very pleased that it’s out there for everyone to see and that the public comment period has started,” Dobbs said. “I’ll probably be reading it over the weekend.”

The public comment phase officially begins April 1, when the Forest Service publishes the legal notice of the decision. Objections are limited to issues raised during the initial comment process, unless they are based on new information arising after the designated prior comment period.

Following the comment period, the Forest Service has 45 days to resolve concerns and issue the Final Record of Decision. Dobbs said he is hopeful the Forest Service can complete their processes and issue that decision by September of this year.

After the Final Record of Decision is issued, the ball moves to the court of Montana’s Department of Environmental Quality for final permitting. Dobbs is confident permits can be issued within 60 to 90 days of the decision.

Dobbs said once permits are issued, work will begin on the project requiring 25 to 35 new employees, “almost all of which will be local,” he added.

The first phase, which is anticipated to require 18 to 24 months, is to reopen and prepare the adit for production and complete the bankable feasibility study. The study provides banks and other investors with information needed in order to make their investment decisions and is a vital part of the long-term financing plan of the mine project.

Dobbs said, in a best-case scenario look, the feasibility study could be completed by July 2017, which would then kick off the build-out of the mine. The build-out phase, Dobbs said, should take two to three years and could create up to 500 new jobs in the area.

Once construction is complete and the mine is at full production, Dobbs estimates that it will employ between 300 and 350 people for 15 to 20 years.