MINES MANAGEMENT, INC. (NYSE Alternext US: MGN) (TSX: MGT) is pleased to announce that a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (“EIS”) for the Montanore Silver-Copper Project has been released for public comment by the U.S. Forest Service and Montana Department of Environmental Quality.

The 90-day comment period, which ends May 28, 2009, includes a public meeting on April 16, 2009, in Libby, Montana. The remaining steps in the re-permitting process include compilation and responses to public comments, editing and completion of the final EIS, and, if a favorable Record of Decision is granted, issuance of certain other operational permits.

Completion of the Draft EIS marks the latest and most significant step forward in the final phase of re-permitting the Montanore Project, which has undergone extensive analysis since its original approval in 1993.

Mines Management’s President and CEO, Mr. Glenn M. Dobbs, stated, “Completion of the draft EIS represents the culmination of more than four years of work by the Company and its consultants, the U.S. Forest Service and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. This entirely new assessment of the impacts of the Montanore Project takes into account refinements in mining methods and project design, and a progressive approach to minimizing the project’s impact to the environment. We expect that the Montanore Project will set the standard by which responsible mining will be conducted in the region. We appreciate the hard work that all parties have contributed thus far in the process, and look forward to completing the final phase of the re-permitting process.”

The Montanore Deposit contains large deposits of silver and copper amenable to bulk mining methods, with grades ranging from 1.85 to 2.05 ounces silver per ton and 0.71% to 0.75% copper per ton. The deposit remains open in several directions for expansion. Additional information regarding the Montanore Deposit can be obtained by viewing the Company’s NI 43-101 Technical Report, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Work conducted on the project to date by Mines Management and previous operators includes approximately 60,000 feet of diamond core drilling, construction of a 14,000 foot evaluation adit, successful completion of the original permitting process in 1993, extensive engineering, mine planning and geologic modeling.