FOUR major US mining companies will contest a US government lawsuit that claims extensive environmental damage by base and precious metals operations in the Coeur d'Alene River basin of Idaho. The lawsuit, filed by the US Justice Dept late last week, if successful, could result in the companies being held responsible for mine clean-up costs in a 1,500 sq mile area that has been mined extensively since the 1880s. The companies named in the suit are Asarco, Sunshine Mining & Refining, Hecla Mining and Coeur d'Alene Mining, along with four subsidiaries of these companies. Four mines are currently active in the area: Hecla's Lucky Friday silver-zinc-lead mine, Sunshine's silver mine of the same name, and the Galena and Coeur silver mines recently reopened by a venture jointly controlled by Coeur d'Alene and Asarco. The region is also dotted with abandoned mine works.
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