Reuters | June 14, 2023
Greens Creek mine in southeast Alaska is one of the world’s largest and lowest-cost primary silver mines. (Image courtesy of Hecla Mining.)
Hecla Mining Co was fined $143,124 for violating hazardous waste management and disposal requirements under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Wednesday.
The violation occurred at Hecla’s Greens Creek Mine in Alaska, which is the largest silver mine in the United States and accounts for more than half of the company’s silver production.
A 2019 inspection by the EPA found Hecla was disposing hazardous waste containing lead without a permit and failed to conduct weekly inspection of the storage area.
Hecla’s violations also included “failure to determine if waste from mining operations was hazardous” and “failure to properly label a used oil container”.
“The company operates in a relatively remote and pristine area in Alaska, underscoring their obligation to prevent pollution from entering public lands surrounding the mine,” said Ed Kowalski, director at EPA Region 10 Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance in a statement.
Hecla did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
(By Arshreet Singh; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)
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