By: Phillip Erquiaga
September 5, 2011
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Do you believe human health should be protected? Do you believe nature and the environment should be protected? Do you also believe that the Montanore mine should be permitted to open? When asked this the other day, presumably by a supporter of Alternative One, I answered yes to all three. I was told: “you can’t have it all, that if Montanore is allowed to open; both human health and nature will be destroyed!” Well my simple response to this was BS! Mr. And Mrs. Rose, the founders of alternative one, have every right to express their concerns, publish their opinions, and attempt to sway public opinion. We all do! Right?
There seems to be this controversy in Libby; one side says the mine needs to open regardless of the consequences; the other side states the mine project must be stopped regardless of the consequences. However, if all is done pursuant to regulation, then the mine can open, workers will be safe, people in the communities can be safe, and the environment can be protected. Regulation and enforcement are required. It is the mine operators’ responsibility to protect the workers, the community, and the environment. It is local, state and federal government who are responsible for insuring the mine operators are upholding their responsibility, and it is the people who are responsible for choosing public servants that will do the job they were elected to do – insuring the public that mine operators are upholding their responsibility.
LeRoy Thom stated it best recently at a rally to support the mine “They have spent millions to protect the environment. They will pump a half-billion [dollars] into the economy. We can’t listen to half-truths [Alternative One]. There is talk of obstructionism [Alternative One]. State and federal agencies will safeguard the environment. Let’s let them do their jobs.” As LeRoy views the mine as an opportunity for his business to grow, I as the owner of FineArt Signs, and an entrepreneur that would like to open a fine art and fine art photography gallery in Libby, also view the mine as an opportunity for my business to grow. Maybe this is selfish, but not really; if my business is growing I know other businesses in Lincoln County are growing, therefore employment is on the rise and money is circulating. This is what we need for growth and to assure there’s ample opportunity for future generations.
There, of course, are caveats to my support of the Montanore mine; federal, state, and local governments must do their jobs by protecting human health, protecting the environment and nature, and assuring a well informed community on mine operation. Mines Management, Inc. also must insure an informed community through transparency, support the community as a whole, and allow community oversight. They must make every effort to employ only locals, providing local training as necessary. And one last suggestion to Mine Management and the regulators; establish a trust fund with quarterly or annual deposits that can be used for environmental or pubic health emergencies associated with mine operation, and that will be used for reclamation at the end of the project life. This will help assure that another W. R. Grace scenario does not occur.
Alternative One alleged misappropriations of funds by the Chamber of Commerce under their IRS 501-c-3 non-profit status by supporting the Montanore Positive Action Committee (MPAC)! I’m not an expert on this but I do have an opinion; if the members of the Chamber feel this is the way they want their money spent, then that is how it should be spent. Any Chamber of Commerce is responsible to its membership! A Chamber of Commerce is in place to promote existing and new business, to promote economic and community development, which in turn promotes job growth, which in turn stimulates additional economic and community development. So what grounds does Alternative One have to allege misuse of funds? From my perspective the chamber is doing exactly what members are paying dues for - business and economic growth!
Alternative One is the equivalent to the KKK where its members are hiding under their white hoods and robes to keep their identity hidden. This is wrong! I take pride in the fact that when I have an opinion or a position on an issue, my name is attached. People know who I am, know my position, know my intent, and usually understand why I feel as I do. Sure on occasion, such as in California and Nevada, I find myself being shot at (literally), or as here in Libby find myself inundated with phone calls, but I see those calls as an opportunity - an opportunity to further discuss the issue, maybe even alter the callers opinion. Furthermore the folks behind Alternative One live at the old Midas Mine site, close to the Montanore Mine project. Their concern would seem only to be their property value. I understand their concern for their investment, but discuss it as such. Don’t hide behind the self-organized movement pretending to care about the environment and public health!
Alternative One claims the proposed 230 k-V transmission line presents an imminent threat of wildfire. We all know there is a risk of fire caused by power transmission lines, but I must ask; what is the likelihood? The statistics for Montana from 2000 through August 2011 shows 3 % wildfire causation by powerlines, compared to 45% by lightening, 15% by debris burning, 12% by campfire, and 4% by equipment (chainsaws, quads, etc…). Note that almost all the reported powerline fires were from small local distribution lines. In Lincoln County for the same period there were two reported powerline caused fires for a total of ½ acres burned. It would seem that it’s far more likely that Sam Haley Rose and Lynne Haley Rose will experience a wildfire from debris burning or even ATV or chainsaw operation on their land than from powerlines.
Lynne Haley Rose has claimed that proposed, “…drilling beneath the protected Cabinet Mountain Wilderness Area” would leave “a legacy of hollowed caverns and drained alpine lakes.” Let me preface this discussion by first saying I’ve read the SDEIS (Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement) and related documents and that I’m an engineer and spent a good portion of eight years working underground in the capacity of an engineer working with other engineers and scientists. I’ve reviewed the geological data, the tectonic data, and everything I could get my hands on in an attempt to substantiate the claim. I can’t! Rock Lake, Saint Paul Lake, and Libby Lakes would be the only lakes that could succumb to such a claim. Lets look at this claim without getting too technical. The lakes are all at sufficient elevations above the drilling and drift elevations to preclude concern; additionally the geologic and tectonic conditions would be non-conducive to such a claim. But an even greater challenge to this claim is in the mining engineering and operational concerns; no mining engineer wants to develop a mine where there is excessive water concerns. Dewatering is one of the many challenges an engineer faces, and wants to be as absolute on the calculations and potential issues as possible. Any mine operator knows that failure to fully understand and anticipate the hydrologic dynamics of the mine site geology could cost millions of dollars beyond projections or could even result in a total loss of investment and projected revenue from mine closure. So again the Alternative One claim is BS and has no engineering to back it up. The Alternative One claims are similar to a simple fear of an every day insect where that fear becomes a Hollywood horror movie, which portrays humanity as being eaten and destroyed - grossly over exaggerated and sensationalized, designed to delve into the deepest fears of the human sole.
What Alternative One, Sam Haley Rose, and Lynne Haley Rose have done is attempt to frighten the community by twisting the SDEIS to instill fear on the community and rally support to protect the value of their land. All their claims I’ve researched are unfounded and without engineering and science to substantiate them. They have turned against a community that desperately needs the jobs, tax revenue, and the overall economic shot-in-the-arm the Montanore mine project could provide. They have used fear tactics on a community, which knows from experience that industry and government can fail them profoundly. The community has an inherent fear and haunting nightmares from their own past (and present) - Sam Haley Rose and Lynne Haley Rose use Alternative One to generate fear and resurrect nightmares for the purpose of advancing their personal agenda!
To what extent has the community seen Sam Haley Rose and Lynne Haley Rose fighting for the public health and safety on asbestos related cleanup issues? So again I ask do they truly care about the community or the environment, or is their activism self-serving?
I hope everyone will go to www.alternativeone.org, sign up, and express your opinion. Particularly that you care about and support the economic well being of your community as they imply they do on their website. I also encourage you to visit www.EaglesVoice.com to further express your opinion.
One final suggestion to the community, Montanore, and the regulators; instead of an organization that is strictly for or against the mine, lets form a group that will work with all parties, and is comprised of all interests to assure checks and balances on all issues. This seems to be the proper way to promote economic growth and at the same time assure the health and safety of the community, mine workers, and the environment.
Phillip Erquiaga
Libby, Montana
perquiaga@EaglesVoice.com
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