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ASARCO GOLD COMPANY RECOVERY SITE AND THE YAK TUNNEL. <br />While the MTAA LTD's Mill Tailings (OU -7) site is without acidity or toxicity, the <br />Asarco Gold Company's Recovery (OU-4) site is not. The Asarco Gold Company was <br />mining Gold from that mountain for over 20 years. The Asarco (OU -4) site did use acidic <br />and toxic solutions to recover the Gold and they left the area in a mess. The Asarco site is <br />just to the East and further up the mountain and gulch from MTAA LTD's site. <br />When Asarco found a major vein, they then built their processing facilities directly <br />over the vein. They built and used leach ponds, using very harsh chemicals. When they <br />had sacked the land, taken all the Gold they wanted, and contaminated the water in the <br />gulch, they simply shut down and left the area, leaving the Governments to clean up . <br />Asarco was found, by the EPA, to be the major cause of the contamination and <br />pollution of the Superfund sites because of their use of harsh chemicals in their recovery <br />processes. They were required to cleanup all the sites, including MTAA LTD's (OU -7) site. <br />In 2002, the Asarco Gold Company and the EPA entered into a contract for Asarco <br />to cover all sites with a rubber covering, including MTAA LTD's Mill Tailings site (OU -7). <br />This rubber covering was simply an after thought, in that while they covered the top of the <br />material, there was no covering for the bottom of the material pile. Thus, it is quite likely <br />that the heavy metals could be presently seeping into the ground water and causing a river <br />pollution from all sites. Thus, the material from the Mill Tailings site should be Removed. <br />To this day, polluted water from the Asarco (OU -4) site drains down the mountain <br />into the Yak Tunnel, to the East of our material. This Yak Tunnel was constructed in an <br />attempt to remove some of the Asarco pollution. Eventually Asarco filed Bankruptcy. <br />SHOULD THE MATERIAL BE REMOVED OR LEFT UNTOUCHED. <br />The Colorado General Assembly, as confirmed by the Colorado Supreme Court, has <br />determined that the intent of the MLRA was to FOSTER and ENCOURAGE the <br />extraction of minerals and the RECLAMATION OF MINED LAND. Both are declared by <br />the General Assembly and the State Supreme Court to be necessary and proper activities. <br />The Colorado Supreme Court, has declared the extraction of minerals and the <br />Reclamation of mined land; and, the development of economically sound and stable mining <br />and minerals industry by the development of the State's Natural Resources to be the Public <br />Policy of the State of Colorado. <br />Thus, the Board's authority and reason for existence is to FOSTER and <br />ENCOURAGE the mining industry and to RECLAIM MINED LAND, including <br />TAILINGS LEFT OVER FROM PRIOR MINING OPERATIONS, while they reasonably <br />protect the Public Health. <br />MTAA LTD, Removal Permit, Page 9 of 10 pages. <br />