Smith River guide John Kowalski’s push for more time and additional public opportunities to comment on the proposed Black Butte mine is spot on. The Smith River is too important for the DEQ to be rushing the public through the 796-page Environmental Impact Statement. Read John’s full op-ed in the Helena Independent Record.
Golden Sunlight Mine set to end operations
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 polluted water, which “will have to be pumped and treated in perpetuity.” The jobs and tax base disappear but the toxic water and the cost of treating it remain, forever.
Because this mine is perched above the Jefferson river, how the company plans to treat and dispose of its never-ending source of polluted water will be critical.
Read more about the closure in this article by Susan Dunlap at the Montana Standard.
MT DEQ releases draft EIS for mine proposed on Smith River
If you care about Montana’s Smith River, it’s time to pay attention. Montana’s Department of Environmental Quality just released a draft environmental analysis paid for by the Australian-owned mining company proposing to build a large mine in the headwaters of the Smith River. We will be conducting an expert, scientific review of this analysis and the risks this mine poses to water quality, water quantity, habitat and fish in the Smith. Stay connected with us for more information based on our review and about the public comment period on this critical issue.
Smith Mine Draft EIS released for public comment
It’s game time folks. We need YOU to attend public hearings, submit comments to DEQ, and get your friends, neighbors, and acquaintances to do the same. The Smith River mine represents an existential threat to the Smith, and it’s time to let the Montana Department of Environmental Quality know how much this river matters to all of us!
You can review the draft document here
The Smith River’s real treasure
There is another reason, beyond recreation and conservation, why we wish to preserve our rivers. It’s a quieter reason: At the river we find healing, release, solace, a physical manifestation in front of us that says plainly, “The only way is forward. Just keep going.”
Smith River mine will have to build an additional water treatment pond
It is hard to trust their general message of they are going to do it right when we see these kind of changes and are surprised by them,” said David Brooks of Montana TU. “They are changes that pose serious risks to both water quality and water quantity.”