LIBBY — It's hard to separate the town of Libby from its mining history, which goes back to the 19th century.
Many of Libby's jobs were through the W.R. Grace vermiculite mine, which closed in the 1990s due to asbestos exposure — creating a health emergency.
The mine's closure also sent the community into economic decline.
Watch the full story:
Since then, the Libby Chamber of Commerce has been searching for a new local source of revenue.
"We had mines operating, we had logging jobs, we had 1500 people working at a processing plant, a sawmill, so we had a lot of family wage jobs," Libby Chamber of Commerce Treasurer Bruce Vincent said.
Vincent, among others at the Chamber of Commerce, found economic hope through a mining exploration project proposed near Libby Creek.
"I do think part of a thriving Libby is that our environment is protected, you know, we are here because we love the natural beauty and the recreation opportunities, and those things absolutely need to be looked after and prioritized, but so do good paying jobs for our community members," Chamber of Commerce board president Emily Gilbert told MTN.
"We have a lot of recreational opportunities here but we also need base wages, family wages in order to grow as a community," Port Authority chairman Jerry Bennett said.
View a map of the project area:
The Libby Exploration Project, years in the making if permitted, would have Hecla Mining Company looking for silver and copper ore and potentially bring up to 40 jobs to the area.
"Silver has an amazing amount of uses. It's in all the high-end electronics. There's an incredible amount of silver that is used in the construction of solar panels," Hecla Mining Company's Governmental Affairs Director Mike Satre explained.
The project would take place around 20 miles from Libby, accessible by U.S. Forest Service roads, starting on land Hecla acquired from the Montanore Minerals Corporation, and then drilling underground.
"We are looking to extend an existing tunnel so that we can drill into the rock, collect rock samples that will tell us how much potential ores of copper and silver are in the area, and we're going to collect geologic, hydrologic data, geotechnical data. We need a significant amount of information that you can only get from, from drilling the deposit out," Satre stated.
The project area is the ancestral homelands of the Ksanka/Kootenai people and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) Natural Resources Department wants the mining — if it occurs — to take cultural resources into account.
"The Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes are not against mining. We're just against mining that doesn't do its due diligence and ensure that the resources are protected," CSKT Natural Resources Department director Rich Janssen said. "We're really concerned about the bull trout in particular, the water quality impacts, and the flora, the fauna, the wildlife impacts."
The Clark Fork Coalition is worried that mining will deteriorate Libby Creek.
"The project references unprotective discharge levels from an obsolete DEQ discharge permit and will result in the degradation of Libby Creek. Discharged water contains nutrients and heavy metals, and the Environmental Assessment of the project suggests that these pollutants could be released in large quantities that would substantially degrade the quality of Libby Creek," Staff scientist Sam Carlson stated.
Also concerned with the environmental impacts of mining is the activism and lobbyist organization Montana Environmental Information Center.
Deputy Director Derf Johnson shared in a statement:
"The Cabinet Mountains Wilderness area is one of the original Wilderness designations and one of the last truly wild places in Montana. It's home to a number of unique and threatened species, including Grizzly Bears, Canada lynx, and bull trout. Mining activities almost always impact water resources, and any mining pollution entering Libby Creek will certainly endanger bull trout and any wildlife or humans that rely on clean water. Despite what the company says, the only way to protect this area from mining activities is to prevent mining in the first place."
Hecla notes that with its background of mining on a national reserve in Alaska, the company intends to mine with minimal impacts in Montana and take full responsibility for reclamation.
"Show Montanans how we responsibly operate," Satre said.
The exploration project aims to determine if an underground mine would be feasible for the area in the future.
"If it were to be a mineral that could be developed and the environment protected at the same time, then it could employ up to 300 people. It would be great, but we're a long ways from making that decision," Vincent told MTN.
A draft decision by the U.S. Forest Service on the exploration project is expected in early April and the final decision is set to come in July.
According to the Kootenai National Forest and U.S. Forest Service, "Specialists are reviewing and responding to public comments. Once the agency considers all comments, the team will revise the Draft EA to incorporate any necessary and relevant concerns raised during the comment period. At that point, the team will draft a Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact to release along with the Final EA anticipated in the summer of 2025."
