GENERAL55014

• Permit No: M1988112
• IBM Index Class Name: General Documents
• Doc Name: NEWSPAPER ARTICLE LOCAL IMPACT LOCAL ACTION
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

CtIlrntentinr
imposition of a fine does not clean up the mass of accumulated cyanide which was never
supposed to be put in the tailings ponds. Worse, the State's response to BMG's failure to
meet the tetras of its permit may be... loosen the terms! As often happens, the dedication of
the citizens of San Luis is their town's only reliable safeguard.
Santa Fe, New Mexico: Friends of Santa Fe County, and other citizens con-
corned over impacts of gold mining in the Ortiz Mountains near Santa Fe gained some
breathing space in November, when Pegasus Gold announced that it had terminated its in-
terest in the project. However, Pegasus' interest now reverts to another mining company,
LAC Minerals. LAC has not announced whether i[ intends to pursue the project itself. In
addition to being concerned over the impacts of new mining in the Ortiz. Santa Fe County
residents wonder who will finish the cleanup of waste and contamination left behind at the
inactive Goldfields mine site in the range.
Malheur Resource Area, Oregon: Oregon citizen watchdoes Concerned
Citizens for Responsible Mining, led by stalwarts Gary and Carolyn Brown, filed an ad-
ministrative appeal of the BLM's approval of "up to 500 drill holes and the constrnction of
numerous drill pads" on BLM lands by Malheur Mining Corporation. The Interior Board of
Land Appeals held that BLA1 was required to consider whether the environmental impacts
of potential mining could be anal}'zed, before approving exploration. [IBLA 91-319. IS
October 1992] Many more BLM decisions on mining need to be appealed. The Oreeon citi-
zen effort sets an important example.
"TUSCarOra"-Nevada: "They're gone, and now what we-re waiting for is
for another one to move in..."The small Nevada mountain town of Tuscarora lived teeter-
ing on the edge of a growin¢ open-pit gold mine far several recent years. An excellent,
thoughtful, new one-hour video documentary by David Schickele documents the Vife of the
[own, and the civil tension between the artist colony which built a life in Tuscarora and the
miners who sought to make a living by obliterating it.
This is a subtle and patient exploration of two conflicting li(est}'les-and of the occa-
sional ironies w'e al] confront. As the central resident, a potter, obsen'es, he, too, is pan}' to
"[he moral ambiguity of a potter objecting to a gold mine. All m}' materials.., everythin¢ is
mined." The story of Tuscarora is unfinished: declining gold prices have stopped the min-
ing, but the open pit and the waste piles remain. Nevada had no reclamation law when the
mine operated.
Copies on VHS of the video Tuscarora are available for $20.00 from David Schickele,
2638 Post Street, San Francisco, California 941 I5, or call 415-922-6627.
Badger-Two Medicine, Montana: Oil and gas development threatens the
wild mountainous Badger-Two Medicine area of northwest Montana. The area covers
130,000 acres bridging between Glacier National Park, the Bob Marshall Wilderness, and
the Great Beaz Wilderness. The U.S. Forest Sen'ice and several oil companies want to open
the area to exploration; they are opposed by a coalition of Black(eet tribal members and
Montana citizens. A new booklet, The Last Slrongho/d, tells the story of the fight to pro-
tect the Badger-Two Medicine in poems, photographs, and thoughtful prose. Copies may
be obtained for 53.00 each from Badger Chapter, Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance. Box
8374, Missoula. Montana 59807. Strongly recommended.
A Salute: David Mullon ]r. sen'ed citizens of the Four Comers states well in 1991-92
as Mineral Policy Center-s Circuit Rider. He brought both dedication and skill to the job.
and we are all the richer for his work. A1any communities gained from his sharp a}'e and
generous counsel. His redirection of the Kennecott damage case settlement in Salt Lake
County is a shining example of landmark advancement of public-interest advocacy. David
has returned to the practice of law, now; he is missed. The Circuit Rider position is being
filled as quickly as possible, to continue its service. Persevere, David. arr
16 ~ Winter +~ 1992