by Rep. David Bedey, House District 86 Hamilton
U.S. Critical Materials (USCM) has asserted in a letter received last week by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) that its proposed operation of the Sheep Creek Mine—located at the headwaters of the Bitterroot River—should be exempt from compliance with the Montana Metal Mine Reclamation Act (and by extension to the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA)).
DEQ in no uncertain terms has disputed the mining company’s claim.
Developing a domestic source of critical minerals is vital for national security. But it does not follow that the Sheep Creek Mine should go forward without careful scrutiny of the catastrophic environmental effects the mine could have on the river and the communities that depend upon it. Other sources of critical minerals exist elsewhere in Montana and across the nation. Prudent policy would seek to select sites with the lowest potential for adverse impacts. Bipartisan opposition to the Sheep Creek Mine is not an example of the “NIMBY” syndrome. Here in Montana, we have seen the cost of irresponsible mining activities. We needn’t repeat the past.
USCM’s letter to DEQ demonstrates—whether intentionally or not—contempt for the state of Montana and the people who live here. It also is tone deaf regarding the value Montanans place on the quality of life we enjoy. It is time for this project to come to an end.
Roger Mitchell says
Thank you, Mr. Bedey. This is a reasonable argument and all of us should get behind it. The days when our environment can be polluted with impunity should be put behind us.
Now, look up! See all those white streaks criss-crossing the Big Sky in every direction? Chemtrails, or more probably, the dispersion of toxic coal fly ash equivalent to putting household trash into a garbage can for eventual placement in a landfill. Except that the landfill is our own clean air, water, and soil.
Montana’s Constitution, Article II, Section 3, guarantees that every person within the state has the right to a clean, healthful environment, but nothing is being done at the state level to ban these assaults and trespasses on us. This must stop. Those entities which are spreading their “garbage” over our territory must be held to account and made responsible.
Are you the man who is up to the task?