Mines Management, Inc. (NYSE Amex:MGN)(TSX:MGT) is pleased to
report that the public comment period for the re-permitting process for
the Company’s Montanore Silver-Copper Project concluded on June 29,
2009. The 120-day period began upon completion of the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (“EIS”), and allowed the public to review
the Draft EIS and provide comments to the governmental agencies
overseeing the re-permitting process.
Mr. Glenn M. Dobbs, the Company’s President and CEO, commented,
“Completion of the public comment period marks the conclusion of an
important step in the process to re-permit the Montanore Silver-Copper
Project, and significant advancement through the final stage of
activities toward completion of the Final EIS. We began the process to
re-permit the Montanore in 2005, and have been gratified with both the
support we have received from the community in the vicinity of the
proposed mine, and the substantial work conducted by all those involved
in the environmental review process. We look forward to completing the
remaining steps required for final permitting of mining activities.”
The remaining steps in the process include the selection of preferred
alternatives, a biological assessment, and drafting and editing of the
Final EIS document, which would be followed by the issuance of a Record
of Decision.
The Montanore was originally discovered and explored in the 1980’s,
received mining and environmental approval, and advanced through
preliminary engineering during the 1990’s. The previous operators
transferred the project to Mines Management, Inc., in accordance with
their lease agreement in 2002, near the bottom of the metals market.
Since then, Mines Management has assembled land holdings, conducted
significant engineering activities, engaged in the re-permitting
process, and initiated preparations to complete the underground
exploration program, including construction of surface facilities and
site infrastructure, and other activities totaling more than $40 million.
With approximately 50,000 feet of diamond core drilling planned from
underground, data from the exploration program would be used to support
completion of detailed engineering and a feasibility study, which is
necessary to raise the capital needed to construct the mine.
The Montanore project is similar to other silver-copper projects in the
region, and is designed to be an underground silver and copper mine that
would utilize bulk mining methods and conventional crushing and
flotation processes to produce a copper-silver concentrate that would be
sold to an offsite smelting facility.