by Bill Salterberg, Stevensville
The Bitterroot Star has done a great job keeping the valley informed regarding the Sheep Creek Mine Proposal. In the August 19th edition, they had a very informative article outlining the process to comment on the proposed exploration. I am no expert on mining, and I am certainly not adept at all the legalities involved with such a project, but I know that if the residents in this valley and in western Montana don’t speak up, this billionaire project will go through, and the Bitterroot Valley will be left with the destruction it causes.
I commented online a few days ago, and read some of the comments. Most were short and to the point…..We oppose this mine and the havoc it will cause. The headwaters of the Bitterroot River are no place for a corporate mining operation.
As of this writing, only 129 online comments have been submitted. The deadline for submitting a comment is September 13th. Comments can be submitted online at the Bitterroot National Forest website. Click on topics at the top of the page, and in the drop down box click on projects. You will be re-directed to the projects page and can scroll down to click on the Sheep Creek Rare Earth Proposal. You then need to click on the “+” sign to the right of get connected. At this point, you can click on comment or you can go to the reading room to read other’s comments.
This entire comment procedure was outlined thoroughly in the Aug.19th article. In addition to commenting online, you can comment via email or letter.
The Bitterroot Valley does not want this mine. In December of last year, I attended the Ravalli County Commissioners meeting held at the fairgrounds and over 700 people were in attendance, all opposing the mine. This valley needs to be loud and clear in opposition to the mine. Now is our short window to make ourselves heard. We need thousands to voice their opposition to this mine. Take the time to comment today and tell your friends to do the same.
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