Mining Laws & Environmental Issues Out West...

We should all care for Mother Earth.  This photo is of the Molycorp mine outside of Questa, 25 miles north of Taos, New Mexico and only shows just a little of the front side of the (now destroyed) mountaintop.  I took it when we drove by in July.

I don't like man-made denudation and took this photo on my drive-by and wondered about other impacts of this process.

While researching more about this mine, I saw photos of the entire mountain (or what is remaining of it!) and became aware of some of the serious issues not only with this Molycorp mine, but of other mining issues as well.   The New Mexico Environmental Law Center has been working on the Molycorp Mine issue as well as on other issues such as uranium mining in and around Navajo lands where the land has been called the Saudi Arabia of uranium riches.  Navajos don't yet have independent riches from casinos and the dollars from mineral/energy have a strong pull on policy says tribal Chief Joe Shirley, and Governor Bill Richardson thinks coal-fired plants on Navajo lands is a move in a wrong direction, according to a NYTimes article last week.

Six-term U.S. Senator Pete Domenici supports uranium mining/nuclear energy as head of the Senate Energy Committee (New Mexico does not have term limits).  I was not aware of the impact of mining on Navajo lands until I saw an issue in the past year in New Mexico Magazine that had Navajos describing in their own words, next to photographs, what they see happening to their land, people and animals.  Other environmental/energy issues are playing out in Navajo land as well.    Uranium has a half-life of 200 million years and accoding to an article by Martha Ture,  there are about 1,300 uranium mine sites in the 26,530 square mile Navajo Reservation where 250,000 people live in 110 communities. More than a third of those 110 communities are affected by radioactivity.  This area doesn't get much attention.  A half-life of 200 million years!  What kind of teeth will hearings have?

Tiffany & Co. cares about its image and buyers of gold so it supports changes to the mining laws but the global economics and profit motives are powerful -- global demand for uranium is driving the price up and demand is expected to outpace production with prices nearly doubling since January,  Health issues come secondary to profit motives and regulations and recommendations take years of wrangling.

An overhaul of the 1872 Mining Law is needed. Mining claims have skyrocked on federal lands.  We are paying a high price in health and environmental damage to allow this to continue.  Mining has already polluted 40% of the watersheds in the west.

I am not an expert on these issues, just someone who cares about our children and grandchildren, their heirs and our earth.

Comments

[Old Horsetail Snake]

It's amazing what Congress can't do when it really tries.

[Anonymous]

Mining law reform efforts are underway. The House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rahall, and Subcomittee Chair Costa have a bill to update this woefully antiquated law. Call your member of congress and ask them to support the effort to reform hardrock mining policy.

[Ra]

I guess you were aware that there was a giant mudslide in this tiny mining village of Red River. It was measured at 5 feet deep across the road through town that it closed and actually temporarily dammed up the red river itself. Wonder if it had anything o do with the lack of any vegetation to hold the soil steady?

[Panhandle Poet]

What were you driving and what was it made from????

[Dan]

Interested in using your MolyCorp photo to help us in our effort to oppose a similar mining proposal in Crested Butte, Colorado. Would you please e-mail me if it would be okay to use your image. We can credit anyone you would like. See our website for more info

[MotherPie]

Thanks, Dan, for asking to use the photo. Yes, you can, just put a link back to this post for the photo credit.

Good luck. We all need to pay attention to these mining issues.