Stop the mine

by Carlotta Grandstaff, Hamilton

Here under the Last Best Big Sky, we have what other states can only dream of. We have a clean river the state of Montana has officially deemed “unimpaired” which means it’s the only river of its size in a populated part of the state that’s not contaminated. Think about that.

Our mountain streams are clean and pure enough to drink.

Our lakes aren’t begging for millions of dollars in federal clean-up money.

We have the full complement of wildlife that was here when Lewis and Clark came through, from hares and bears, to minks and skinks.

In a time of political divisiveness over unserious things like “wokeism,”we have a community that largely unites over the sanctity of our abundant clean waters and the ability to roam freely over more land than anyone could see in a lifetime.

We have the great luxury of being able to take all this treasure for granted.

Did we think it would last? Did we think the whole world was like this? Because now it’s under threat from foreign shell companies, fraudsters and treasure-takers.

US Critical Materials – actually a Canadian company so don’t let the name fool you – wants to mine rare earth minerals at Sheep Creek, above Painted Rocks reservoir at the headwaters of the Bitterroot River, and at a (real) “critical” wildlife migration corridor near the also “critical” Allan Mountain Roadless Area.

This foreign company has described the Bitterroot as “mining friendly” to its investors. I would argue to those same investors that we’re much more river- and wildlife-friendly, and that these treasure-takers might want to bear that in mind before they part with their money.

But what about our gadgets, you might ask? How can we power our e-stuff without the rare earth minerals that make them go? Turn the question around and ask yourself, what are we willing to sacrifice for our e-gizmos? Are we seriously willing to risk the permanent contamination of our greatest treasure, the Bitterroot River, an 84-mile long, clean, unimpaired waterway that has sustained a way of life for many generations, and will continue to do so for many more if we insist on it? Are we willing to allow Painted Rocks reservoir, in the line of fire as it is, to become a giant tailings pond?

You might also ask, is it a good thing that China is supplying all the rare earth metals we need for our batteries and magnets and various gadgets? Can we afford to let China “win” the global race for rare earth metals? For one thing, China isn’t exactly a competitor. Currently, there is only one rare earth metals mine in the US – the Mountain Pass mine in California’s Clark Mountain range. And China is a part owner of that mine, so you might say China is a partner and co-owner with the US in the rare earth mineral extraction business.

There’s another race on, and that’s the race for alternatives to REE. That race is heating up. It’s too much to go into here, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that in a few short years lithium batteries will go the way of the floppy disc.

What about jobs? US Critical Materials pledges 10-15 jobs. So ask yourself, are we willing to sacrifice the REAL rare earth for a few measly jobs in an extraction industry famous for its here today, foul-the-water, gone tomorrow approach? It’s a poor trade-off in exchange for polluting our river and running off our bears. We have so many jobs looking for workers now, that the Help Wanted signs are beginning to fade. Knife River and Donaldson Brothers Ready Mix are running television ads looking for workers. When has that ever happened? Everyone is looking for workers; jobs are plentiful; there’s a labor shortage.

We already have the real rare earth right here. It’s clean and abundant and wide open not only to us, but to the bears, the wolverines, the lynx, the trout, the salmon flies, the western tanagers and all our forest and river brothers and sisters.

Be skeptical of US Critical Materials. It’s run by fraudsters and shells within shells within shells of Canadian banks and companies that would permanently ruin our most precious resource, and for what? There’s not enough money in the world to buy our Bitterroot River. Don’t allow it.

Here’s what you can do now: email the West Fork Ranger, Daniel Pliley at Daniel.Pliley @usda.gov and ask to be put on the mailing list for any updates on the Sheep Creek mine. Check the Friends of the Bitterroot website (friendsofthebitterroot.net) for its wealth of information and links. And contact US Critical Materials Corp CEO Darren Collins at 1 (786) 633-1756, 550 Burrard St. #2300, Vancouver, BC V6C 2B5, Canada, or email contact@uscmcorp.com and tell him, we are, in fact, a friendly community, just not in the way he might think. We take care of our friends and neighbors. We take care of our river. 

In the meantime, contemplate the words of Teddy Roosevelt, president, great lover of the west, conservationist, hunter: “Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it.”

Stay informed. Get ready to comment. Protect our river.