Hecla 'pleased' as process on Rock Creek mine project moves forward, official says

Hecla Mining Company is “pleased” with the recent release of Kootenai National Forest documents pertaining to the company’s proposed Rock Creek Mine.

Forest officials on July 3 released a final supplemental environmental impact statement and a draft record of decision on the project, a proposed underground copper and silver mine near Noxon.

“We think the agency has done a very thorough job of analyzing the Rock Creek project,” said Luke Russell, Hecla vice president of external affairs, noting that the final environmental impact statement comes “after years of evaluation and responding to public comments” on the draft version.

According to a Forest Service news release, the Kootenai National Forest and Montana Department of Environmental Quality released a final environmental impact statement for the project in 2001. The Kootenai National Forest’s latest supplemental environmental impact statement was prepared in response to a March 29, 2010 U.S. District Court decision that found the final environmental impact statement deficient.

The release of the most recent documents is followed by a 45-day objection process that ends Aug. 17. After that period ends the Forest Service will consider any objections and make any revisions in preparing its final record of decision, which Russell said Hecla hopes will happen late this year or early next year.

Release of the final record of decision would allow the mining company to begin Rock Creek’s evaluation phase, Russell said.

Copies of project documents can be found at www.fs.usda.gov/kootenai and at the Libby Public Library.