I was lucky enough to get the chance to fish the Kootenai River this summer with one of the people that knows the river and its fish better than just about anyone. Between reminders to Read more…
As Montana’s Golden Sunlight mine prepares to close, the mine manager reminds us that the closure is happening because “It’s a nonrenewable resource.” Once there isn’t enough gold to be profitable, it’s over…except for the Read more…
Rep. Nate McConnell brought House Bill 593 before the House Natural Resources Committee on Monday, March 20, 2017. Read more in the Helena Independent Record and Montana Trout Unlimited’s legislative action alert.
Mining companies are notoriously poor with finances and Montanans have to look no further than one of the local mines to see an example of that. The tale of the Stillwater Mine also shows how reclamation bonds are never set high enough. (more…)
Let's say - just hypothetically - that there was a mining company out there run by people who could guarantee that a small mine wouldn't cause any environmental problems. This is obviously hypothetical because no such company or mine exists. If it did, it would be good, but there would be no guarantee that company would own the mine throughout its lifetime. In the world of capitalism, mining and fluctuating metal prices, mines often swap hands and nothing guarantees that the new owner will have the same priorities. (more…)
Amazing how disasters change people's ambivalence toward mines. According to this High Country News story, "Silverton's Gold King reckoning," the Colorado mining town of Silverton has regretted its original choice to oppose federal mine clean-up after the ancient mine had already created a pollution problem. (more…)
History is full of mining leaks, spills and downright disasters that have at least impaired and at most wreaked havoc on the streams, wildlife and landscapes around them. Far, far fewer are the stories of "harmless" mines, maybe because they don't exist. The problem is that mines bring hazardous material from underground - where they're safely locked away - to the surface where the companies and taxpayers then have to deal with them. At that point, the wastes are ticking time bombs, waiting to go off when it's least expected. (more…)