The federal government announced last week that the U.S. Forest Service approved a mining company’s exploration permit at an old mining site south of Libby.

Idaho-based Hecla Mining Company will spend more than a decade determining whether the “world-class” copper and silver deposit presents a viable opportunity for future mining.

“We are pleased to see the U.S. Forest Service advance the Libby Project, and we are grateful the FAST-41 process helped move this important project forward efficiently,” Rob Krcmarov, President and CEO of Hecla said in a press release . “This approval represents years of collaboration among federal agencies, local and state officials and other stakeholders. The Libby Project exemplifies our commitment to responsibly developing critical minerals in the United

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