The hope to see Libby Creek Mine open soon is high among many residents of south Lincoln County.

A thriving copper and silver mine could mean a return to the past when the Troy Mine employed many workers, helping to create a solid economy.

But even mine officials are pumping the brakes on the enthusiasm, saying a true opening of the mine with regular production is still years away.

Two Hecla officials spoke at a county commissioners meeting recently regarding the future of the mine, formerly known as the Montanore Mine.

“Many miners that work at our Greens Creek Mine in Alaska are from western Montana and they frequently ask us when they can come home and work,” Hecla Director of Governmental Affairs Mike Satre said. “We tell them, ‘We’re working on it.’”

Hecla, based in Coeur d’Alene, has operated since 1891 and is the largest silver producer in the United States and Canada. They operate mines in Idaho (Lucky Friday), Canada and Alaska (Greens Creek). According to its website, Hecla has 10 locations slated for exploration. They include Rock Creek in Noxon, Silver Valley/Star in Wallace, Idaho, as well as locations in Colorado; Nevada; Washington; Quebec, Canada; Durango, Mexico; and the Yukon in Canada.

Satre said there are about 60 miners from Libby, Troy and Thompson Falls employed by Hecla, but most are at the Greens Creek and Keno, Yukon Territory mines.

Satre spoke of the “world-class” silver and copper deposits in the region that are in high demand around the world for a number of projected needs in the next several decades.

Montanore Minerals, a subsidiary of Hecla Mining Company, submitted a plan for operating the Libby Exploration Project to the U.S. Forest Service. The Forest Service accepted public comments as part of the Forest Service’s EA under the National Environmental Policy Act.

Federal officials gave the project the go-ahead last month. In the Forest Service’s Environmental Assessment, the exploration is not likely to adversely affect native species such as bull trout, grizzly bears and wolverines. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed.  

The results of a 1981 U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Bureau of Mines mineral survey of the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness, an area of about 150 square miles, indicate areas of high potential for deposits of copper and silver.

A nearly horizontal 14,000-foot exploratory mine shaft was built to access the copper and silver deposits. Current plans call for drying the existing adit with about half of it being under water. The adit would be extended another 4,200 feet when it would be directly above the mineral deposit. More than 6,000 feet of tunnels would be built as part of the project.

The federal report also said mineral production since 1902 from mines within five miles of the wilderness boundary totaled 431,375 tons of ore containing 311,149 ounces of silver and 25,459 pounds of copper.

Energy experts project that the transition to clean energy will cause a substantial increase for silver and copper.

The International Energy Agency is a forum made up of 32 industrialized countries, including the U.S., that was established in 1974 in the wake of the 1973-1974 oil crisis. 

An IEA report says copper is essential for electricity grids and electric vehicle (EV) motors, with projected demand doubling by 2050 and potentially facing a significant supply shortfall. Silver is crucial for solar panels, with its demand growing substantially due to the global expansion of this technology. 

Satre went on to explain Hecla’s plans to expand the existing adit to determine if mining the area, located on private land near the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness, is feasible. About three dozen workers will be needed to begin the dewatering process in the adit. Satre said it would take about a year, with work beginning in 2026, to dewater the flooded area of the mine. He said another three to five years would be needed for exploration.

“There’s always the chance the minerals aren’t there or there aren’t enough to make it economically feasible,” Satre said. “The reality is nothing is going to happen fast.”

The need for more exploration is due to outdated information, according to Hecla. Work began in the early 1980s and that historical data can’t be relied upon, according to Satre.

“More exploration is needed to get an accurate estimate of what’s really there,” Satre said. “We’ll expand the adit on our private land to determine the true value of what’s there.”

District 1 Commissioner Brent Teske said, “It would be nice to get some of the questions answered because there are a lot of them.”

Satre also said there would be a 300-foot buffer around the Rock Lake Fault. 

“We don’t want to go anywhere near that,” he said.

The Forest Service also said groundwater impacts would be negligible. It predicted minor flow reductions in Libby Creek, East Fork Rock Creek and the East Fork Bull River. Water pumped from the site would be treated and monitored, with the agency concluding that effects on the endangered bull trout and other aquatic species would also be negligible.  

While litigation and a change in federal administrations are possibilities, Satre said there are current efforts in Congress to continue the work, even of leadership changes.

“We’re looking forward to your success and changes that will allow work to continue,” District 3 Commissioner Noel Durham said.

However, the Forest Service said that if Hecla pursues full-scale mining, the company will need to submit a new proposal and undergo additional environmental review.