An out-of-court settlement between Newmont Mining Corp. and the city of Grass Valley over its years-long dispute over toxic runoff is imminent, my sources told me on Saturday (1/24).
A press release announcing the deal is expected as early as next week (the week of 1/25).
The plan calls for Newmont to build a wastewater treatment plant to handle runoff from one of the company’s old mines in Grass Valley, as well as pay some damages, I’m told.
The situation began in 2000. The city has been forced to treat the water to meet state clean water standards. It has cost the city $1.5 million in treatment fees, and another $1.5 million in attorney’s fees.
This is good news to be sure, though it won’t help cut Grass Valley’s deficit.
The goal of this blog isn’t to scoop anybody (as with the item below on a Nevada City school closing). But I’m pretty well connected, so when I dig up things — in this case, on a trip to the gym and swimming pool — I’ll try to pass them on.
With cost cutting going on throughout the media nowadays (no local media people work much on Saturdays anymore), we need to get our news from responsible 24/7 “citizen journalists” too.
What peaked my interest about the Newmont case was that we all knew it was going to trial in Sacramento last Tuesday, but nobody followed up on what happened.
When a big case like this doesn’t go to trial, you can assume a last-minute settlement is in the works.
Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report 