A court-ordered cleanup plan for the Golden
Sunlight Mine in western Montana marks the beginning of a golden
era of mine reclamation, say local
environmentalists.
“For the first time since the
West was opened by miners, people have stood up and told the mining
industry that they can’t leave a ravaged landscape when a mine
closes,” says Tom France of the National Wildlife
Federation.
Four environmental groups, including
NWF, filed suit against the Montana Department of Environmental
Quality (DEQ) in 1998, when it approved Golden Sunlight’s plan to
only partially reclaim the open-pit, heap-leach gold mine near
Whitehall. The 25-year-old mine opened a 1,200-foot-high gash in
the rolling Bull Mountains.
Helena District Judge
Thomas C. Honzel ruled that the state violated a provision of the
Montana Constitution that requires all mined lands be reclaimed. He
ruled that the state structured the reclamation based on Golden
Sunlight’s financial concerns.
“There is nothing
in the constitution or the (Metal Mine Reclamation Act) which
allows a reclamation decision to be based on ‘ whether a mine
operator will make a profit,” Honzel said. “Yet that is the premise
DEQ started with.” The judge then instructed the state to mandate a
more extensive reclamation, one which could cost as much as $2.3
million.
“Now we’ll see a landscape that is in
harmony with the rest of the Bull Mountains,” says France. “Plus,
the unoxidized material in the open pit will be covered, minimizing
acid-mine drainage.”
Mine officials say they
wouldn’t have turned over one shovelful of earth in mining had they
envisioned such a price tag.
Copyright © 2000 HCN and Mark Matthews
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Reclaiming a golden landscape.
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