Looking for a silver lining

Federal closure of Hecla's Lucky Friday silver mine in Mullan is devastating for the Silver Valley economy.

And don't think for a minute that the pain won't be felt here in Kootenai County.

While state officials have estimated the negative economic impact for the Valley at $13 million, a figure used by Hecla CEO Phil Baker better illustrates the severity of the blow to North Idaho. Baker says that the loss will do more than cost some 300 workers their jobs; Hecla will reduce its expenditures for the mine from about $100 million last year to $20 million this year.

That's an $80 million kick to the economy's gut, much of it right here in North Idaho. Promptly drying up the trickle effect of that mother lode of cash will hurt in ways few can imagine right now - and this is assuming that the mine will be closed for only a year. What if it takes longer to reopen?

This is not the news our region needed to start the year off right.

With unemployment throughout North Idaho significantly higher than the national average even before the loss of these difficult but high-paying jobs, many in the $100,000 and up range, the temporary closure of Lucky Friday constitutes a big step backward from the state's highest priority: Putting Idahoans to work and rebuilding the economy one job at a time. Even so, the harshest impact is about to be felt by many North Idaho families, some of whom will likely have to leave the region in pursuit of work elsewhere.

Our very best wishes go to them, with high hopes that when Lucky Friday does reopen, these hard workers and good citizens can come home again.

We also applaud Hecla officials for doing everything in their power to ensure the safety of their employees and their contractors. Over the long haul, Hecla has posted a safety record second to none.

While job fairs have now begun for displaced workers and businesses start to gauge how to cope with this economic blow, some forward thinkers are not standing idly on the sidelines. On Sunday, we'll share some of the steps that could help strengthen the North Idaho economy both in the short term and in the long.