Cantwell opposes mine near volcano
Friday, February 8, 2008 5:34 AM PST
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E-mail this articleStephanie Mathieu
smathieu@tdn.com
OLYMPIA - U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell announced Thursday she will oppose a Colorado company's plan to run a copper mine 12 miles north of Mount St. Helens, and she called for reform of an "antiquated" 136-year-old federal mining law she says fails to protect the environment.
"A mining company has proposed a ... open-pit mine near Mount St. Helens National Monument. This clearly would put this treasured, and historical, place at severe risk," Cantwell spokesman Nate Caminos said, reading from a statement at a rally at an Olympia hotel.
"If approved, this mine could jeopardize critical scientific research, family recreational opportunities, threatened salmon and steelhead runs in the river, and municipal water supplies. Clearly, local citizens should have more of a say in the actual decision to open mining operations that affect their community," according to the statement.
Longview City Councilwoman Mary Jane Melink joined the group of 10 people rallying against the mine.
"Communities like ours have a stake in mining reform," Melink said. "The 1872 mining law simply does not work in 2008."
The land proposed for the copper mine was transferred to the U.S. Forest Service with the purposes of protecting it, Melink said, but now "it could be lost or degraded."
The Longview City Council last month voted to oppose the mine, noting that it could contaminate the Green River, which is part of the Cowlitz River watershed, from which the city draws its water. The city councils of Castle Rock and Kelso previously voted to oppose the project.
General Moly, Inc. wants to explore the Green River Valley below Goat Mountain for copper, gold, silver and molybdenum. Idaho General Mines, the company that made the original proposal, merged with General Moly, Inc. in October and assumed the mining company's name.
General Moly, Inc. has asked to lease 900 acres of public land from the U.S. Forest Service for the project. The public land is just north of the federally protected 110,000-acre Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is considering whether General Moly's application to hardrock mine in the area is consistent with the federal mineral leasing act. A decision on that rather narrow question is expected within two months, but a decision on whether actual mining would take place is many years off, said BLM spokesman Michael Campbell.
BLM's imminent ruling "wouldn't give the company permission to do much of anything." The firm "would have to go through a much more rigorous planning process through the Gifford Pinchot National Forest to conduct exploratory work or do ground-disturbing activities," Campbell said.
Cantwell, D-Wash., used Thursday's rally to call for reform of the 1872 mining law that allows companies to purchase federal mineral rights for $5 or less an acre, extract minerals without paying royalties and abandon spent mines without cleanup.
She called the law "a relic of Western expansion" and noted that there are 3,500 abandoned mines across Washington that would cost $50 billion to clean up. If we don't have meaningful reform, many of America's most treasured places, including roadless areas, will continue to be claimed for mining," according to Cantwell. "The time has come to end the preferential treatment that hardrock mining receives under the 1872 Mining Law and to craft mining reform legislation that responsibly balances mineral development and the protection of our national treasures and western waters."
General Moly, Inc. spokesman Zach Spencer said in an interview on Thursday that despite the outdated 1872 law, there are other environmental protection laws mines must adhere to. He also said it would be nice to reform the 136-year-old law to get all of those rules "under one umbrella.
"It's the right thing to do," Spencer said. "The mining industry definitely wants to work with government agencies, with regulators and external stakeholders and get an updated law that encompasses everything we're already doing."
He also said mines serve as "catalysts for economic diversification."
Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire had prodded Cantwell in a letter to take the lead to reform the law, which has never been changed.
According to Gregoire's letter and a Cantwell spokesman, new mining laws should:
-- Give local and tribal governments power to put land with cultural or spiritual significance off-limits to purchase by mining companies;
-- Stop land managers from making mining a priority over other land uses, such as hunting, fishing or hiking;
-- Safeguard national parks and monuments from the effects of mining;
-- Create environmental standards specifically for hard-rock mining; and
-- Accelerate the cleanup of abandoned hard-rock mines � a cost to be covered by mining companies. Joe LaTourrette, of Sportsmen United for Sensible Mining, said Thursday that outdoor enthusiasts often pay user fees to hunt and fish and that it's not fair mining companies pay an obsolete price to privatize that land.
"We are pleased to have Sen. Maria Cantwell playing a lead role in the effort to protect the health of Washington communities, lands, water, and wildlife and we urge her and Sen. (Patty) Murray to work with their colleagues in Congress to craft a modern framework for mining that protects taxpayers and the environment," LaTourrette said.
Obama for America wrote on Feb 8, 2008 8:26 AM:
Again wrote on Feb 8, 2008 10:32 AM:
Too bad Edwards dropped out. We need someone who is not corporate controlled to speak for the people.
Obama AND Hillary are BOTH corporate sponsored candidates. All of the Republicans are corporate sponsored candidates too.
So the corporations are going to continue to own and rule America.
Our country is not free. It is a subsidiary of Wall Street. "
cougkyle wrote on Feb 8, 2008 11:01 AM:
Mountain Man wrote on Feb 8, 2008 11:18 AM:
Misinformed wrote on Feb 8, 2008 11:55 AM:
makes such statements. I worked in the
copper mines in Northern Michigan, and the mines do not scar the landscape, they do not pollute the rivers, they do not harm fish or wildlife if they are a hardrock mine - like the one proposed for St Helens. This is NOT an open pit mine, which would scar the landscape and greatly affect the environment. A month ago, someone said that smelting & refining is the danger, and that is correct. If the smelting and refining is NOT done on site, as they did in Northern Michigan, then you don't have a problem with the mines.
You don't use chemicals in the mining process, and the water pumped out of a mine is just regular ground water - NOTHING is added to it. The public's fear is misplaced, and that is mostly due to propaganda and the public's lack of knowledge about mining. Remember: Mining is safe, but smelting & refining is what can cause problem if not strictly controlled. If smelting & refining is NOT done at the mine site, the mine, by itself, will do no harm.
"
Misinformed or not... wrote on Feb 8, 2008 12:53 PM:
misinformed or lying!! wrote on Feb 8, 2008 1:14 PM:
Not Corporate wrote on Feb 8, 2008 4:15 PM:
implications of smelting and refining either. The public should know WHAT
the mining interests and politicians are talking about and if they are giving you the whole story.
"
Hardrock wrote on Feb 8, 2008 5:35 PM:
UW PSE wrote on Feb 8, 2008 5:54 PM:
bluE wrote on Feb 8, 2008 9:25 PM:
Thomas wrote on Feb 9, 2008 1:23 AM:
northender wrote on Feb 9, 2008 8:45 AM:
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