by Luanne Cathey, Hamilton
Could there be a more serious question? Can we learn from China’s example, or are we doomed to suffer their same fate?
I am referring to the Wednesday, March 22nd article about the new Rare Earth Minerals mine they are hoping to build up at Sheep Creek.
You know those TV ads where the person talks in double-time about all the side-effects of the drugs they are selling – even possible death? Well, the creator of this article did that in this article, informing us of the real facts of what happened to China to cause them to slash production of this product by 40% in 2010.
Toward the end of the quite long article, on page 4, they tell us what happened to the once beautiful city of Baton, which was in close proximity to both their river and the mine. They reported that, “radioactive, arsenic, and fluorine-containing mine waste, or tailings, was being dumped on farmland and into local water supplies as well as into the nearby Yellow River. The air was polluted by fumes and toxic dust that reduced visibility. Residents complained of nausea, dizziness, migraines, and arthritis. Some had skin lesions and discolored teeth, signs of prolonged exposure to arsenic, others exhibited signs of brittle bones…”
China’s state council wrote in 2010 that, “…the release of heavy metals and other pollutants during mining led to the destruction of vegetation and the pollution of surface water, ground water and farmland…and led to landslides and clogged rivers.” Should we believe them?
Now, the new company who wants to dig up Sheep’s Creek says that they have a process where they trap 85% of the radioactive arsenic that’s produced from digging up beautiful rocks and sucking out their minerals. The rest of the 15% poison in the water, they say, will get recycled and reused in their own plant – and the 85% of the now-poisoned radioactive leftover goo will dry into blocks that they plan to bury “on their own property.” Oh, my heart breaks for our mountainside!
Does any of this send up red flags to you? This is a process of taking beautiful land and rocks, and mining them into toxic waste – and then burying it! I don’t understand why we would want to do that!
It is this company’s plan to supply our whole nation with this much-needed ingredient used to make batteries for electric cars (and Montanans will soon be paying $130-$1,000 per year along with their car registration, to make up for not paying the gas taxes at the pump). They say this is one of the most mineral-rich areas in the nation – and the jobs that will be produced will be a boon for our economy!
I would like to suggest that we reconsider whether this is really what we want to happen to the Bitterroot. And also, can we re-think needing so much of a product that poisons the Earth with the leftovers of the process of obtaining it? I know we haven’t thought about it much – but can we find a better way to propel us, that wouldn’t take pristine beauty and turn it into toxic waste refuse?
Can we learn from China’s experience and not allow the huge amounts of money the mining company dangles in front of us to blind us from seeing the reality of what can happen if we don’t stop this mine? Once it’s here – we are done. Think Avatar. I hope we can stop it – and I also hope we can find another way to propel us, something that doesn’t cause such devastation to produce it. We are brilliant thinkers! It doesn’t seem like the cost of destroying a living landscape is worth making these batteries!