Gov. Butch Otter traveled to Wallace on Tuesday to listen to concerns from town residents over the closure of the Lucky Friday Mine. On Dec. 20, the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration shut down the mine's shaft, saying it wasn't safe enough and needed repairs.

The mine employs around 200 people, who will be out of work for about a year--the time expected to repair the mine's shaft.

Otter said when he returns to Boise he would be sending a letter to Washington, D.C., asking federal regulators for a public meeting concerning the closure of the mine and their reasons for doing so.

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