Great News for High Wage Jobs in Thompson Falls, Montana

If you ask me- this is great news for Making Mining in America Great Again. This is great news for Western Montana. And this is great news for high wage jobs in Thompson Falls.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte (R-MT) joined the CEO of The US Antimony Corporation at a groundbreaking ceremony for a major expansion project in Thompson Falls.

The USAC was first established in 1969 to process antimony, which is a critical mineral for national defense, energy, batteries, ammunition, and semiconductors. While eventually they hope to mine more antimony here, this will be a significant boost for processing antimony in America. 

USAC Vice President Jeff Fink joined us on the radio Friday morning.

Fink: "These critical minerals are essential, very national security oriented. Not a bullet is fired without antimony. It's used both in the primer and the lead to harden the lead in the bullets, and also used in fire resistant materials, mostly plastics, but military applications, fabrics as well. Practically anything that's fire resistant that's a plastic or fabric has a little bit of antimony in it. Also used in optics or scopes, infrared sensors, which obviously have military applications and certain electronics as well.

What does this expansion mean dollars and cents, especially for a community like Thompson falls?

Fink: "It'll bring our revenue, you know, from give or take two and a half to two and three quarters million a month to the neighborhood of 16. And we're going to have more employees here...which is almost doubling our workforce, and they're good paying jobs too."

According to the Governor's press release, "The smelter can produce up to 15 million pounds of antimony oxide or 5 million pounds of antimony metal annually and refines silver and gold, with monthly capacities of approximately 10,000 ounces of silver and 50 ounces of gold. The project includes up to $15 million in capital investment and the creation of 25 new jobs in Sanders County. Once completed, the expansion is expected to increase production from 100 tons per month to more than 500 tons, a 400% increase in processing capacity from current levels. The Thompson Falls smelter remains as the only facility of its kind in the United States."

The Governor also pointed out how China controls 85% of the world's antimony production. “We cannot and must not be reliant upon China for these minerals. That’s why President Trump, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and others have made the production of critical minerals like antimony a top priority. With Montana’s rich tradition of mining, we can and should be a national leader,” Gov. Gianforte added.

This week, USAC announced it was awarded a $245 million contract by the Department of Defense to supply antimony to aid in the replenishment of the National Defense Stockpile that supports the U.S. military.

 “This significant expansion, along with new innovations being implemented, underscores USAC's ability to move swiftly in an effort to respond to shifts and demands for not only our industrial customers, but now our U.S. Military,” said Gary C. Evans, Chairman & CEO of USAC.

Click here for the full press conference with the Governor and the USAC CEO.

USAC Vice President, and Thompson Falls Expansion Project Manager, Jeff Fink joined us on Friday's Montana Talks statewide radio show. Hear him below in the 2nd half of the program.