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III IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII <br />~ l4gg-i(a <br />--- _- <br />iENV6it:- <br />ty gold mine opexatio~r OK'd 1 <br />two open-pk mines, milling the <br />ore and d{ip 'ng cyanide on the <br />~: 'crushed rock t~ ieaclt for gold. <br />.water <br />Houston-based' Bettie Moun- <br />tain Resources inc. plans to fiitte <br />for gold .on a 43-acre heap three <br />Holes u stream from the town of <br />~a~~a <br />~; , . <br />~• `Gald_____ <br />ContinuodlFom Fage IA <br />Said Jaquez, a Sap Luis science <br />d math teacher. <br />.. We Were told that if it was <br />Denvt>r and was a condpntiri(r <br />oomplaa or shopping.centar, <br />ere would be grave concern by <br />~4he state." <br />Steve Renner, a state reclama- <br />tion specialist, testified that Battle <br />;Mountain's plan is environmen-. <br />atally safe. Renner recommended . <br />!that the board issue the permit. <br />Besides the .required tl~ <br />~righ[s, the company agreed to:^'a <br />• Submit a safety plan to, <br />j cure the bins that will store <br />;sodium cynanide on site before <br />is used for leaching. <br />• Report quarterly on flows <br />i into the west pit. <br />• Monitor the collectiod sys- <br />le+n and report the results to the• <br />>rrah-aadt nth. ! ' <br />' ~RMwti /rts#IrMlti <br />But the co 4Y not be <br />able to start o~fatioW6 for two <br />years or more. Thp std terJama- <br />hon board required ifi~t BatttM <br />Mountain [first obtain wateN tights <br />before leaching for gold. <br />The Costilla County Committee <br />for Environmental Sotmdness, led <br />by Jce Gallegos of San Luis, <br />opposes the project, <br />Committee mereb~tt mid they <br />~vitl try o0 Bisce~pstl, attle relt- <br />dents from selling water to toe <br />company, <br />The proposed open pits she 5,- <br />000 feet from RMto Seco Cteek, <br />whidi flows throygh San Luis.and <br />eventually into th Rio Grande, <br />A heavy flood tunoff woul¢tin- <br />crease chances of yanide or ether <br />toxic materials owing into the <br />creek, warned Ch les Jaquez,ppc- <br />retary-treasurer o the local emtl- <br />ronmental commi tee. <br />"This big cy fide faclity is <br />right on top of wirer sup ly; ' <br />lMwe eetl ~ . ' <br />a collection system for the gold- <br />bearing liquid. A pond is to cap- <br />ture toxic substances between a <br />plastic liner above and afoot- <br />thick layer of compacted clay un- <br />derneath. <br />But if a spill occurs, the compa- <br />ny's emergency response plan is <br />"inadequate," said Brax Ortega. <br />chairman of San Luis' emergency <br />planninp~committee. <br />~1N~. our mayor, or our <br />s6t~i w about cyanide <br />,,~app~~'' a asked. <br />Davis Hol Bttiw•/C-llie <br />Mined Land fi`tin Board, <br />responded, "This an is right to <br />be concerned. It would behoove <br />the company to gat together with <br />the town at the earliest possible <br />moment to develop an emergency <br />response plan." <br />Battle Mountain plans to a}m'• <br />ate the gold mine for seven yltUtl, <br />employ 10 to 20 people and <br />duce 390,000 ouncels of gold. <br />currently is priced at more tflMa <br />$380 an ounce. <br />In a prepared $tatement, the <br />Costilla County Qommittee for <br />Environmental Son~hhhhhtdness said: <br />"It is truly ironi that, becattae <br />of two cyanide-la d grapes, we <br />almost paralyzed t e economy of <br />the Spanish-sPeaki g country of <br />Ch7e. But it see that wtl rue <br />perfectly willing t dump x,1109 <br />tons of cyanide it~ the Spa~sh- <br />speaking town of S Luis." <br />'" The committee compared its <br />"~ struggle to that of New Mexico <br />farmer battling lan~ developers in <br />COLORAD the novel, ` Mila~ro Beanfield <br />PRESS ` `war:" - <br />tl "The parallels wce~~d <br />Clipping Service tle ~ ~, ~~~ <br />i~o 84240 <br />0 CHIEFTAIN <br />.:... ~ <br />MAR ~ 31989 <br />