Background Information

About the Plan of Operations for the Libby Exploration Project

Hecla has submitted a Plan of Operations to the United States (U.S.) Department of Agriculture Forest Service (Kootenai National Forest [KNF]) with a description of activities to be conducted under the Libby Exploration Project (Project). A notice of the draft environmental assessment (EA) and supporting documents are available on the project page on the Kootenai National Forest website.
View key points about the EA.
The Plan of Operations outlines proposed underground exploration and evaluation activities to collect data that will shape and guide potential activities and operations.
The Project is located 20 aerial miles south of the town of Libby in Lincoln County, Montana, near the Cabinet Mountains of northwestern Montana.
Hecla will conduct the Project over a period of approximately 16 years including post-reclamation monitoring.
Among the activities are dewatering and adit rehabilitation, underground exploration, and reclamation and
Once evaluation activities are complete, Hecla will review subsequent engineering and feasibility studies and determine the ability to meet environmental and regulatory standards.
If these studies support a feasible modern mine plan, a new, updated Plan of Operations can be submitted triggering a new and separate permitting process.
If permits are granted, construction and mining activities can proceed.

The purpose of the Project is to allow Hecla to conduct underground mineral exploration and data collection to achieve the following objectives:

Determine the economic value of the mineralization contained within established valid existing rights and assess the technical and economic nature of future potential underground mining operations.
Analyze samples to obtain geologic and metallurgical data on the characteristics of copper and silver mineralization.
Collect data to evaluate geochemical and geotechnical conditions underground to obtain information on rock characteristics and to assess potential extraction techniques for use in future mine feasibility analyses.
Assess hydrologic conditions.

The deadline to provide public comments on the Project ended on February 19.
The Forest Service will review public comments on the Environmental Assessment and if the new plan is authorized, exploration and data collection will proceed.

In 2015, Hecla Mining Company, the largest silver producer in the United States, acquired Revett Mining Company resulting in full ownership of the Rock Creek project in Sanders County near Noxon, MT.
In September 2016, Hecla acquired the Montanore project with the acquisition of Mines Management Inc.
After careful consideration, the existing plans of operations, inherited from prior owners, were withdrawn at both Montanore and Rock Creek.
A new Plan of Operations was submitted for standalone evaluation activities at Montanore (Libby Exploration Project).
Hecla is retaining its mineral and other rights at Rock Creek but is focusing first on the Libby Exploration Project.

Hecla has submitted a Plan of Operations to the United States (U.S.) Department of Agriculture Forest Service (Kootenai National Forest [KNF]) with a description of activities to be conducted under the Libby Exploration Project (Project). A notice of the draft environmental assessment (EA) and supporting documents are available on the project page on the Kootenai National Forest website.
View key points about the EA.
The Plan of Operations outlines proposed underground exploration and evaluation activities to collect data that will shape and guide potential activities and operations.
The Project is located 20 aerial miles south of the town of Libby in Lincoln County, Montana, near the Cabinet Mountains of northwestern Montana.
Hecla will conduct the Project over a period of approximately 16 years including post-reclamation monitoring.
Among the activities are dewatering and adit rehabilitation, underground exploration, and reclamation and
Once evaluation activities are complete, Hecla will review subsequent engineering and feasibility studies and determine the ability to meet environmental and regulatory standards.
If these studies support a feasible modern mine plan, a new, updated Plan of Operations can be submitted triggering a new and separate permitting process.
If permits are granted, construction and mining activities can proceed.

The purpose of the Project is to allow Hecla to conduct underground mineral exploration and data collection to achieve the following objectives:

Determine the economic value of the mineralization contained within established valid existing rights and assess the technical and economic nature of future potential underground mining operations.
Analyze samples to obtain geologic and metallurgical data on the characteristics of copper and silver mineralization.
Collect data to evaluate geochemical and geotechnical conditions underground to obtain information on rock characteristics and to assess potential extraction techniques for use in future mine feasibility analyses.
Assess hydrologic conditions.

The deadline to provide public comments on the Project ended on February 19.
The Forest Service will review public comments on the Environmental Assessment and if the new plan is authorized, exploration and data collection will proceed.

In 2015, Hecla Mining Company, the largest silver producer in the United States, acquired Revett Mining Company resulting in full ownership of the Rock Creek project in Sanders County near Noxon, MT.
In September 2016, Hecla acquired the Montanore project with the acquisition of Mines Management Inc.
After careful consideration, the existing plans of operations, inherited from prior owners, were withdrawn at both Montanore and Rock Creek.
A new Plan of Operations was submitted for standalone evaluation activities at Montanore (Libby Exploration Project).
Hecla is retaining its mineral and other rights at Rock Creek but is focusing first on the Libby Exploration Project.