How close would the two proposed silver mines in the Cabinet Wilderness be?
SEE NEW map and new information in the succeeding post. (Above this one)
The major mining issue around the Inland Northwest is the continuing campaigns by two companies looking to develop silver mines under the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness Area, and the the opposition area residents have mounted against them.
Today's business section story examined a recent court ruling in Montana that creates more challenges for Spokane-based Mines Management Inc., which wants to develop the Montanore Mine in the area.
The story also notes that Spokane Valley-based Revett Minerals has its own challenges from people trying to stop its silver-copper mine under the wildnerness. The Revett Rock Creek project would start outside the wilderness on its west side. The Montanore would start on the east side. Both mines would tunnel under the surface more or less toward the same target.
It's kind of remarkable that the two companies have claims on supposedly large ore bodies, but the claims are supposedly for distinctly different bodies of ore near each other.
They supposedly do not overlap. That's the story as we were told it.
These maps display the relative locations of the Rock Creek Mine, proposed by Revett, and the Montanore, proposed by Mines Management. The Montanore image comes from the company website. The Rock Creek map is from the RockCreekAlliance site, managed by folks opposing the Revett project.
