by Karen “Tana” Walsh, Hamilton
I was pleased to see your piece on the rising concern among local groups about the potential for the Sheep Creek rare earth elements mine to become a reality.
There are additional factors I would like to contribute to the discussion. For every 1 ton of rare earth elements harvested from an REE mine, 2,000 tons of toxic waste are created. That includes thousands of tons of gaseous acids and other poisons that will pollute the air and ultimately rain down on our valley. Yes, fish will die – but so will farms, and so will we.
David Fotouhi, who as an attorney defended a company accused of polluting drinking water with “forever chemicals” and subsequently fought to reverse the ban on asbestos, is well on his way to being approved as the second-in-command at a diminished EPA.
The administration plans to eliminate the entire scientific arm of the department – i.e. the very people whose job it is to monitor water quality reports, interpret the data, and identify companies that are not in compliance with the regulations that were designed to protect us.
That plan goes hand in hand with President Trump’s choice of Mr. Fotouhi, and with his stated intention to enact extensive deregulation. There is no point in having regulations if there is no one to monitor whether they are being followed.
Layoffs at Health and Human Services will include the scientists who track the birth defects, cancers, and other types of illnesses that result from tap water contamination. How, exactly, will we prove that harm was caused by the mine if there is no one to determine that a spike in diseases has even occurred?
Meanwhile, our future ability to even claim harm has already been undermined by the actions of our own representative. Congressman Zinke preemptively aided the mining industry by cosponsoring House Bill 587, which redefines the word “harm” in such a way that mining companies will have an even easier time minimizing and evading responsibility than is already the case.
Lastly, the president is systematically attacking the law firms that are most well-equipped to pursue class-action lawsuits on behalf of injured communities. By capitulating to his demands, they have agreed to aid him in his “America First” agenda. Those in the best position to help us will therefore be barred from doing so.
The consequences of the mine becoming a reality are not just that we will be affected in myriad and unforeseen ways. We will also lack the ability to do anything about what is happening to us. The administration is systematically removing every tool we have to protect ourselves and, when that fails, seek redress for the ongoing damage.