Editor’s note: I received this op-ed page submission from the CLAIM-GV group. David Watkinson, of the mine, is welcome to respond or submit his own opinion column:
February 6, 2011 was the 100th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s birth, and when Grass Valley evaluates the controversial proposal to reopen the historic Idaho-Maryland Mine the late president’s signature phrase holds a timely piece of advice: Trust, but Verify.
When President Reagan uttered those words he was referring to an arms control treaty with the Soviet Union. At first glance, a nuke treaty with the Evil Empire seems a world away from reopening a historic gold mine in rural Grass Valley, California.
But the proposal by Emgold – a Canada-based mining company that has never actually operated a gold mine – to resume mining at Idaho Maryland carries both big promises and huge risks for our community, and it deserves equally serious scrutiny.
First, some history: in 2006, Emgold proposed a scheme to reopen the mine and build a ceramics plant to manufacture tile from excavated rock. That proposal quickly ran into trouble. State regulators and mine experts found serious problems with Emgold’s Draft Environmental Impact Report and by 2009 the project appeared to have quietly died.
But like a bad penny, Emgold’s scheme has returned.
Emgold is expected to submit a revised proposal by April 8th, and ultimately the Grass Valley City Council will vote it up or down. Before approving the proposal, however, the Council must verify its many golden promises:
Jobs: Under its initial plan, Emgold promised to create four hundred jobs over the next 20 years – 200 in the mine and another 200 in the ceramics factory. Sounds pretty good, especially in these tough economic times, right? But hold on – not only are these jobs figures speculative, but the Grass Valley General Plan has slated the mine site for a business park with the potential for 800 new jobs – 400 more than the mine promises. A potential loss of 400 jobs is a bad deal for Grass Valley.
Impact on Existing and Future Businesses: Not only could the mine cost Grass Valley long-term jobs, but it’s common sense that a mine might dissuade other high-paying employers from locating in the area. High-tech manufacturers have cautioned Grass Valley that vibrations from mining and increased truck traffic could upset sensitive operations and force them to leave town.
And visitors might decide to spend their tourism dollars elsewhere if, rather than a church bell, they wake to the sound of 20-ton trucks rumbling through town. Grass Valley is already burdened with the tragic closure of Weaver Auto. Imagine the repercussions from a failed mine operation in downtown Grass Valley.
Public Safety and Pollution: Emgold’s own project proposal envisions a huge burden on Grass Valley’s streets, totaling 220 20-ton truck trips per day, seven days a week (that’s one every 7 minutes!). Then there’s the need to drain and clean 72 miles of mine tunnels of toxics-laden water and the risk of dewatering local resident’s wells. The price tag for ensuring public safety and environmental health grows quickly.
Cleanup and Long-Term Costs: Emgold promises the mine will operate for 20 years, but this promise is based on both the speculative value of gold and assumed (but not proven) gold reserves left in the mine. If gold prices crash or the reserves are smaller than anticipated the mine could close and leave Grass Valley with an unusable industrial mine site and long-term cleanup costs. The uncomfortable fact is that there is a failed mine behind every ghost town in the American West. Grass Valley has recent experience with closed mines: the discovery that the Newmont Mining site was contaminating local waters, the city was forced to spend more than
three years and $2 million in legal fees just to force the mine operators to clean up their mess.
Grass Valley cannot afford – and should not pay for – another costly mine cleanup.
Emgold has made a lot of promises to Grass Valley. But reopening the mine carries huge risks: loss of long-term jobs and businesses, increased traffic, air and water pollution, threats to public health and quality of life and a huge cleanup bill if those promises aren’t kept.
Before the Grass Valley City Council approves reopening the Idaho Maryland Mine it must prove to the community that the benefits greatly outweigh the risks.
The Gipper was right: when it comes to our long-term safety, security and prosperity we should Trust, but Verify.
Ralph Silberstein – President,
Mike Pasner -Vice-President,
Citizens Looking At the Impacts of Mining
CLAIM-GV
Filed under: Uncategorized
Emgold… a Canadian penny stock mine scam.
Sounds like a mess…
Just a word from afar: No pain, no gain!
John
Corrollary: “No pain, no gain” does not logically preclude “Much pain, no gain,” a more aphorism in this case.
I meant to say “a more appropriate aphorism in this case.”
no pain, no pain.
John,
Just a word? Ahuh. Most of us realize the pain may very well exceed the gain for this community. How about we open a gold mine down the street from your house… and we’ll tell you some whoppers to make you think it’s a good thing.
Jon,
Actually we suspect that our friends at the UC Davis Med Center opened some sort of toxic research lab just a block from my house so you never escape danger in this life.
And in the next block over they have 24 megawatt natural gas power plant bulging lots of that evil CO2 into my air which could kill me as an asthmatic according to some of the experts on this blog.
And did I mention the traffic that center brings into our quiet little neighborhood? Funny what the government can get away with when it fits their priorities.
But, to answer you question, if anyone has an idea to open a mine or factory or just about anything else in our area that could create 400 jobs I will be at the front of the line to give testimony in support!
john
Open your eyes and ears, John! It sounds like you don’t keep up on what goes on around you… or you just don’t care? 400 jobs? I have a bridge for sale, cheap.. John. Emgold was hoping there would be more John Stoos in Grass Valley… I guess.
Even factoring in the possible 200 jobs (200 = 1/2 x 400 after the tile plant is eliminated from consideration), the county would suffer a net job loss if the Idaho-Maryland is re-opened.
The support for the mine is not based on a hardheaded business analysis. It’s based on a faux business analysis, a simplistic business sentimentality that takes Emgold’s spurious jobs claim at face value.
The city needs to make a hardheaded realistic business decision in favor of growth and jobs and reject the mine proposal.
A few thoughts from your friendly local GIS guy. I do not know much about this mine opening issue other than I sure don’t want to own property around it.
What I’m wondering is if has been any maps made showing what the truck routes are going to be? It has been mentioned in various articles about heavy truck impacts to local roads, well which roads?
Once there are specific truck traffic routes, then there can be some kind of modeling showing who might be hearing those trucks. And granted they all won’t be hearing the same volume of noise, atmospheric conditions change and effect noise levels etc. Sometimes I hear Hwy 49 like its in my back yard, many times I don’t hear it at all.
And what about those blasting vibrations, who will have the most impacts? I know there are mine tunnels all over this area, where do they plan on mining in the first five years if the mine opens? Under what parts of town can people be expected to feel blast vibrations, have their drywall craked and the dog jump over the fence and run away? Will the mine operators pay for Zanax from pet meds to keep animals calm? (the last part was a joke)
I know that around airports they can do modeling/mapping work with jetliner noise to neighborhoods. I have never done it but I’m pretty sure noise impacts from trucks could be modeled with volume levels based on distance from roads etc, it would have to be some kind of 3D model to be appropriate for this area’s terrain, and you could then use that impact area to do a parcel selections and then have a mailing list of people to send letters to for a public meeting. (psst, hey buddy, do you know that you’re in the high noise impact area if this mine opens? Just sayin, whether you care or not is up to you)
Just a few thoughts while I’m doing laundary and cooking pasta sauce.
“What I’m wondering is if has been any maps made showing what the truck routes are going to be? It has been mentioned in various articles about heavy truck impacts to local roads, well which roads?”
My wife and I did a video while driving the proposed truck route, which is documented in Emgold’s original project plan. We did this in April of 2009.
You can watch it here:
I can imagine trying to get off 49 at the Colfax exit with a stream of diesel trucks flowing down the “frontage road”.
OK, I’m ignorant on this issue.
This is the proposed route of trucks? What kind of trucks? How many trucks? Through a round-a-bout?
Wouldn’t 174 to Colfax be better? Wouldn’t the Brunswick basen be a better site to enter the freeway? Wouldn’t Bennett Street be better? Wouldn’t Cedar Ridge (again 174) and Empire Street (which used to have alot of truck traffic, if it still doesn’t) be better?
There are so many unknowns, what-ifs, could cause it to happens, concerned with the Emgold application that the concept of a high-risk gamble for not only the city of Grass Valley but all of western Nevada County is the most appropriate way that I know of to view this project. I recall actually being quoted in one article in The Union after attending one of the meetings on Idaho-Maryland having to do with fracturing of the rock underlying Grass Valley and the possible de-watering of wells which could result, and the reply of the geologist for the Emgold consulting company, SDA which was preparing the DEIR, his answer having been “no gusrantees.” I do not believe any in the know venture capitolist or established mining company would touch the Idaho-Maryland project with all the information which has come out in the past, and all of the unanswered questions still there after years of study, meetings, consultations, and reports done on IMM, and huge investments on the part of Emgold as yet productive of nothing but a lot of conjecture, questions, and complaints. Why would Emgold stockholders want to throw more good money into this seemingly bottomless pit? Beats me.
Pat,
To answer your last question first, have you looked at the price of gold lately?
As far as all the “sky is falling” scenarios go, I have seen the model at the Empire mine and with all of the existing tunnels, it amazes me that your entire city has not collapsed a long time ago.
John
Even with the price of gold sky high, Emgold’s stock is sinking.
If you believe in the inerrancy olf the market, that should tell you everything you need to know about this Emgold penny-stock scam from Canada.
John, We in the gold country , which is our history, with some intrepreneurs panting to get in and try a repitition of it, do keep up with the price of gold, certainly as long as a threat to our health, peace of mind, and general way of life exists in the form of a Canadian penny stock company with dreams of striking it rich, not necessarily in finding any gold, but in getting a business application approved to enable them to look for it where some once was, sell stock, sell th company’s interest to a real mining corporation, take the profits and run. Few here who know all the background are taken in by this scheme, but out of the area folks such as you and our Congressman seem to be, though really before promoting it in general, you would do well to take the time and do the work of educating yourselves on the topic to the extent that we who would actually be affected by a re-opening of IMM are.
Sorry to hear of all the hazards in your neighborhood. Really, have you considered a move to Nevada County? I’m sure your family would like it here, and the religious community, which includes many Christian churches, a Jewish community center, a large Buddhist group, an ashram, Friends, Mormons, Unitarians, some Moslems, are exceptianally hospitable and tolerant, as are most of us who represent the spectrum of political diversity. Think about it, John.
Thanks for the offer Pat!
We have a number of our families in the church who live in your lovely county so I know it can be tempting.
But my lovely bride and I live in the same home that we first looked at in Sacramento and Lord willing it will be the home that our children will one day carry us out of.
John
Pat wrote about John S.
“you would do well to take the time and do the work of educating yourselves on the topic”
Hey, John is working on this. He’s making progress. Give him time
You should move up here John. Except, no can afford to!!;)