THOMPSON FALLS – Employees of Revett Minerals met with the Sanders County commissioners on Thursday to provide an update on both the Troy and Rock Creek Mines.

According to Monique Hayes, Director of Communications, the process of getting back into the Troy Mine after a rock fall shut off the Lower Quartzite Area, has been steady but slow.

“We are continuing the development work that we outlined….which is advancing the D Drive to regain access to the Lower Quartzite area of the mine,” said Hayes.

The D Drive is one of the two separate drifts that crews have been focusing on to regain access to the haulage route.

Vice President of Operations, Doug Miller, said the mine was forced to lay off close to 60 percent of their workforce.

“We laid off over 100 people just because of what we saw in one of the areas. It didn’t pan out as well as we hoped,” said Miller.

As for the Rock Creek Mine, Paul Lammers, Environmental Program Director for Revett Minerals said they are continually working with the Forest Service and other cooperating agencies on the supplemental EIS process.

“I’d love to be able to give you a date, we have a draft for everybody to look at but we don’t control that process so we continue to chip away at it,” said Lammers. “It’s an ongoing process. I wish I could give you something more.”