Tragedy In Silverton: Mining Accident Leaves One Miner Dead In North Idaho Galena Mine Complex — Canadian Owners Say He Was “Struck By Falling Ground”
(Silverton, Idaho) — A miner was killed in an accident at the Galena Mine Complex just outside of Silverton, Idaho. This accident comes just days after an announcement touting the projected completion of a new hoist at the mine that was promised to increase output, and was projected to be completed at the end of April.
Following the tragic loss of life at the mine, all operations have been shut down pending an investigation by the Mine Safety and Health Administration. The name of the victim has not been released.
This is the first fatality at the mine since 29 year old Tim Bush was killed in a similar accident on June 18th, 2010.
According to an investigation in 2010 by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, “The accident occurred because management, policies, procedures, and controls were inadequate and did not protect persons working in the raise.” The report continued saying:
“Procedures were not implemented to control the ground when conditions changed exposing persons to adverse ground conditions. Additionally, the scaling bar that was provided did not ensure that persons could scale the ground from a location that did not expose them from falling material.”
In 2010, the Mine was hit with a number of citations, due to the lack of procedures in place.
Following today’s incident, the Mine Safety and Health Administration is conducting a new investigation into the cause of the accident that took the life of the un-named victim.
The mine which is owned by a company called U.S. Silver - Idaho Inc., a subsidiary of Americas Gold and Silver, is not an Idaho company, or even a U.S. company for that matter; it is actually a Foreign Business Corporation owned by Canadians, and based in Toronto, Ontario.
60% of the Galena Mine Complex itself is owned by both Americas Gold and Silver, with the other 40% being owned by an individual named Eric Sprott, a Canadian Billionaire.
In a statement released by America’s Gold and Silver corporation, Darren Blasutti, the Toronto-based CEO said "We are shocked and saddened by this tragic loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, and coworkers of our employee."
The statement continued, saying ”Our primary focus is supporting those involved and working to fully understand the circumstances that led to this event and to prevent it from happening again in the future."
There are currently 1,567 active mines in the state of Idaho, and it is unclear how many of them are controlled by foreign interests.
In 2018, Barrick Gold corporation, a Canada-based mining company, announced on September 24th, 2018 that “Shandong Gold will purchase up to $300 million of Barrick shares, and Barrick will invest an equivalent amount in shares of Shandong Gold Mining Co., Ltd.” Earlier that same year, Barrick bought nearly 20% of Midas Gold Corporation, which operates the Stibnite Gold Project here in Idaho. Midas Gold corporation has since been rebranded as Perpetua Inc.
On April 3, 2023, Governor Brad Little signed House Bill 173 into law which states that “a foreign government or a foreign state-controlled enterprise shall not purchase, acquire, or hold any interest in agricultural land, water rights, mining claims, or mineral rights in the state of Idaho.” The law is currently in effect, and it is unclear how this will affect U.S. Silver or the Galena Mine Complex.
