Greens Creek receives final Forest Service approval to begin expansion next year

Hecla Greens Creek Mine on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)
Hecla Greens Creek Mine just got the green light for an expansion that could extend mine operations for up to another 18 years. The U.S. Forest Service officially permitted the project on Admiralty Island on Thursday.
After nearly five years of planning and public review, Greens Creek is now allowed to build more storage for tailings — the ground-up rock that’s leftover after the extraction of valuable metals l