1994 RESOLUTIONS
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NORANDA GOLD MINE THREATENS YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK |
| Yellowstone Park, the
World's first-ever national park when established in 1876, is now a
World Heritage Park, as well. A Canadian Mining Company, Noranda,
is using the antiquated, give-our-resources-away-to-anybody mining
policy (established by the inadequate Mining Law of 1872) to propose a
gold mine operation just outside of the Park's northeast corner.
Noranda figures to mine $600,000,000 of gold, silver, and copper; and
per the 1872 Mining Law, Noranda will not even have to pay even one
cent of royalties to the debt-ridden U.S. government. |
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| This mining operation
would seriously jeopardize the Park by opening large areas of
sulphide-containing bedrock to the high-country air and water
environments. The resultant acidic run-off would not only poison
pristine surface waters that flow into the park, but also the Clark's
Fork of the Yellowstone, Wyoming's only federally-designated Wild and
Scenic river. Four tons of this sulphide-bearing rock will have
to be mined to produce each once of gold, and most of this gold will be
made into jewelry. |
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Both the Environmental
Protection Agency and the Army Corp of Engineers have stated concerns
about the proposed tailings impoundment design. This would create
a 70 acre bathtub of highly acidic muck in the headwaters of Fisher
Creek, an all-too-likely situation that prompted the American Rivers
organization to name Fisher Creek as "The most endangered River in the
U.S." |
|
| |
The Federation of
Western
Outdoor Clubs goes on record as being wholly opposed to the Noranda's
"New World Mine" project as: (a) being unnecessary for the economy of
the country, (b) it gives
away non-renewable mineral resources with no compensation to the U.S.
taxpayer (and by so-doing, subsidizes a foreign corporation!), and (3)
it would pose a completely unacceptable risk to the gem of the U.S.
National Parks, and a World Heritage Park. |
|
| The Federation also
strongly recommends prompt Congressional action to provide a
environmentally sound and fiscally-prudent new Mining Act. |
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| The Federation requests
Members and Member Clubs to convey this opinion to their respective
federal legislators. |
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