Tagged: Mining

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Mining
7:46 am
Tue March 19, 2013

Supreme Court Lets Limits On River Mining Stand

Credit Aaron Kunz / EarthFix

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling Monday makes it harder for miners to gain access to Northwest rivers. Environmental groups hailed the decision as a major victory.

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Mining
4:20 pm
Wed February 20, 2013

Idaho Silver Company Says Mine Is Safer Since Accidents

Credit Jessica Robinson / Northwest News Network

Originally published on Thu February 28, 2013 7:00 pm

The owner of the troubled Lucky Friday Mine in north Idaho hopes new safety upgrades will prevent future accidents. Hecla Mining announced Tuesday that it’s reopened the silver mine in Mullan, Idaho, after a year-long closure.

Hecla President Phil Baker made the announcement at a press conference in Spokane.

“It's nice to be able to give you guys a good news story.”

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EarthFix
4:02 pm
Thu February 14, 2013

Mining Industry in Idaho Seeks Shorter Permit Application Period

Credit Aaron Kunz / EarthFix
Mining Industry leaders speaking to Idaho lawmakers on February 11, 2013.

Mining has pumped billions of dollars into the Idaho economy. It’s one of the states considered by the industry to be the most mining-friendly.

But even here, the industry is frustrated that it can take years before permits are issued and work can get underway. That’s why mining officials are appealing to state lawmakers to help speed up the regulatory process. It’s a proposition that has environmentalists worried.

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Mining
7:14 am
Mon January 28, 2013

Silver Boom Brings Historic Sunshine Mine Back Online

Credit Mine Safety and Health Administration
Miners begin work at the Sunshine Mine in 1972. The Mine is about eight miles east of Kellogg, Idaho.

The high price of silver is bringing one of the Northwest's oldest silver mines back online. The Sunshine Mine in north Idaho is known for one of the worst mining disasters in the nation’s history. It will resume production in late 2014.

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Mining
9:47 am
Thu December 13, 2012

Audit Pushed To Rekindle Mining Act Reforms

Credit Hecla Mining

A report released Wednesday indicates the United States government has no idea exactly how much gold, silver and copper is being dug up from public lands. Lawmakers say it’s one more reason to overhaul a mining law from the 1800s.

When companies drill for oil, natural gas or coal, they must report how much they obtain. And they pay royalties for the minerals they extract. That puts $10 billion into the U.S. Treasury every year, according to the Government Accountability Office.

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Mining
4:54 pm
Thu October 18, 2012

Idaho Miner Says He's Not Interested in Salmon River

Credit Aaron Kunz / EarthFix
This section of the Salmon River was where Mike Conklin of Grangeville had intended to dredge for gold.

A gold miner who got the go-ahead to dredge a half mile section of the Salmon River in Idaho may be calling it quits.

Mike Conklin of Grangeville, Idaho told the Idaho Department of Lands he won’t be signing the lease he worked for this past summer. The lease approved by the State Land Board would have given him the exclusive right to mine on a half mile of the Salmon River three hours north of Boise.

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Mining
4:56 pm
Thu September 20, 2012

One Type Of Gold Mining in the Northwest Raises Concerns

A recreational gold miner in Idaho now has the exclusive right to mine for gold on a stretch of the Salmon River. But the lease process approved by the Idaho Land Board this week raised some questions about the process he will use to get the gold.

There are hundreds of miles on the Salmon River where the only noise you’ll hear is rushing water and wildlife. But in certain places during the summer you might hear engines.

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Mining
2:40 pm
Fri August 31, 2012

Why A Canadian Company Is Told To Hold Off Drilling Near Idaho City

Credit Adam Cotterell / Boise State Public Radio
Bird's eye view of the Thompson Creek mine near Challis. The ultimate goal of the CuMo project is to create this type of open pit mine.

A judge has ordered the U.S. Forest Service to take another look at plans to expand exploratory drilling in the mountains near Idaho City.  U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge issued a ruling Thursday that essentially vacates the environmental assessment produced by the agency on the CuMo Mine project.

Lodge concluded the agency acted arbitrarily in determining that expanded drilling would not significantly impact groundwater sources.

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Mining
11:37 am
Wed July 11, 2012

Miner’s Family Wants Company To Take Responsibility For Death

Credit Hayley Marek
Larry Marek, pictured about a week before he was killed by a cave-in at the Lucky Friday Mine in Mullan, Idaho.

The family of a miner who was killed last year in Idaho’s Silver Valley is speaking out for the first time. In interviews with public radio, the family of Larry Marek says the the mine’s owner, Hecla Mining, hasn’t taken responsibility for its role in the tragedy.

Larry Marek’s mining partner Mike Marek says he thinks about his brother every time he goes underground. Mike witnessed the cave-in that killed Larry and says it was clear that the tunnel was too wide to be stable.

Mike Marek: “To me that was a scary looking place. I didn’t even like going in there.”

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