Chas Vincent honored by Montana Mining Association

Chas Vincent, with his wife, Michelle, holds the Distinguished Service Award presented to him at last week’s Annual Montana Mining Association (MMA) meeting. Photo courtesy of MMA.

 

By Tracy McNew

 

During last week’s Montana Mining Association (MMA) annual meeting at Fairmont Hot Springs, Libby’s Chas Vincent was honored with a Distinguished Service Award for “his remarkable work and support of the mining industry.”

According to their website, “The primary purpose of the MMA is to protect and promote the mining industry in the state.”

MMA said that Vincent helped pass legislation aimed to “move Montana responsibly forward through our next 150 years of mining.”

Vincent told The Montanian that it was a great honor to receive the award and that, “it is also a great reminder that service to our citizen legislature does matter.”

It is simply not true that participation in politics does no good, he said. “A person can make a difference, but they have to engage to make that happen. Democracy isn’t a spectator sport, and our government is run by those who show up. So be there.”

Vincent who previously worked in logging has spent over ten years engaged in Montana politics with a significant portion of his efforts focused on natural resources.

He won election to Montana’s House of Representatives in 2006 as a republican, and he served two terms before being elected District 1 Montana State Senator in 2010. Vincent then served as Senator until 2019 and was unable to run for re-election due to term limits.

Three of the most important mining bills that Vincent sponsored while in office, he said, were SB 312, SB 317, and SB 409.

SB 312 overhauled Montana’s Metal Mine Reclamation Act requiring more environmental analysis up front, but limiting environmental analysis, once submitted, to one year which sped up the permitting process by three or more years and gave certainty to applicants.

SB 317 changed the Montana Environmental Protection Act (MEPA) process to ensure that what was being analyzed was really the action being proposed. It also allowed a project to proceed if challenged in state court and only procedural violation was found.

SB 409 enacted the strictest tailings impoundment design standards and review process in the United States, to ensure that no impoundment failures will ever occur in Montana like those that have happened in other places around the globe.

“MMA was fully supportive of these policy changes, and should be applauded for their forward thinking and leadership in making sure Montana leads in the new mining era,” Vincent said.

Another bill that Vincent sponsored, SB 315 created the Libby asbestos cleanup advisory team and funding in 2017.

SB 315 ensures oversight of cleanup, operations and maintenance,  and funds at the Libby asbestos superfund site necessary to ensure ongoing  protection of human health. The asbestos superfund site is the result of past vermiculite mining activities.

As the Rock Creek and Montanore mines work through the permitting process, Vincent’s proactive approach to balance safety and progress have paved the way for improved chances of success in future Montana mining endeavors.

The Rock Creek Mine project is projected to provide 300 jobs with an annual payroll of $30 Million for decades, according to a recent Hecla Montana publication.

Hecla Montana said, “We seek to be responsible environmental stewards, minimizing environmental effects during exploration, development, and operations, and then reclaiming our projects to productive post-mining land uses.”

Vincent intends to focus on family moving forward, but he will remain active as a citizen supporting those who support Montana families in the natural resource industries, he said.