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About Dillon Tribune (Dillon, Mont.) 1989-current | View This Issue
Dillon Tribune (Dillon, Mont.), 06 Oct. 2004, located at <http://montananewspapers.org/lccn/2015269516/2004-10-06/ed-1/seq-6/>, image provided by MONTANA NEWSPAPERS, Montana Historical Society, Helena, Montana.
Page A-6 - D iu . on T k i b i m : - Wednesday. October 6. 2004 I n the M ail T he views of our readers The truth about Initiative-147 Dear Editor: Six years ago Montanans approved Intiative I- 137 prohibiting the use of cyanide leaching tech nology at new open pit mines Montanans can now repeal that ban and allow the use of cyanide. Canyon Resources, a Colorado mining company, has provided 96% of the funding for a group spon soring the repeal. Literature provided by the cya nide ban repeal group says’ it’s “paid for by Min ers, Merchants and Montanans”. Ninety six per cent funded by an out of state company? Is this truly a home grown initiative? Cyanide heap leach technology is used to ex tract gold and silver from low grade ore deposits. Low grade ore yields 1 ounce of gold for every 100 to 1000 tons of ore. Low grade ore is mined from large open pits like the Berkeley Pit. The ore is heaped onto huge open air leach pads with a base of asphalt, natural clay, or plastic sheeting. A solution of cyanide and water is sprayed on the leach pads. The cyanide solution percolates down through the ore, leaching out the gold. The cyanide water gold solution is collected on the plastic sheeting and pumped to a recovery plant, where the gold is extracted. Cyanide is very toxic. It kills fish, cattle, plants and people. Fish and other aquatic life are killed by cyanide concentrations in parts per billon. But humans and other mammals can withstand con centration up to parts per million. Cyanide heap technology relies on the ability to collect the cyanide/water/gold solution from the liner and transport it to the processing plant. The liners lie underneath million's of tons of crushed ore. The leach pads can be 1 square mile in size with about 200 feet high of crushed ore. Think how hard it would be to find a liner leak and repair it under all that ore. EPA studies and mining experts say that liners almost always leak. There was a study done for the EPA which concluded that it was reasonable to expect an 1 leak every 10,000 square meters of liner. If the cyanide ban repeal is approved by voters, Montana’s new law will require, rather than recommend double liners. The'thing to remember is that liners leak. Initiative 1-147 does not require any new technology. However, it does mandate some technology as opposed to only recommend ing the technology. Many cyanide spills do not involve liners. Sur face water runoff from cyanide solution impound ments, tailings piles, cyanide solution spills and acid mine drainage may be as serious as problems involving leaking liners. There are four major heap leach mines in Mon tana. Every single one has released cyanide into the groundwater, resulting in millions of dollars of damage to ranching and agricultural lands. The Zortman-Landusky mine near Malta is bankrupt • and abandoned. In 1982 a pipe leak released 52,000 'gaMotis of cyanide solution into the groundwater and creeks. Malta’s local water supply system was 1 polluted and shut down. Eight more spills, unre lated to heap leach liners occurred between 1982 and 1983. In 1986 19 million gallons of treated cyanide solution were released illegally onto the ground when a cyanide solution pond was at risk of overflowing during a rainstorm. Acid mine drainage contaminates nearly every associated stream. Contamination to surface and groundwater from acid mine drainage is so severe that water treatment will be required in perpetu ity. The CR Kendall gold mine, owned by Canyon Resources is located near Lewistown. It was closed in the 1990’s. State regulators found that it had polluted streams and groundwater and that Can yon Resources has a long history of being difficult in negotiations about cleaning up its groundwater contamination. “It has been a very frustrating deal ing with Canyon Resources,\ said Jan Senibaugh, director of the Montana Department of Environ mental Quality. She said the company has refused to pay for state-mandated environmental impact studies and is now rushing ahead with a poorly conceived cleanup plan that does not meet state approval. The Department of Environmental Quality faxed a letter to Kendall on 8/6/04 saying that if unapproved cleanup efforts at the Kendall mine did not Cease, the DEQ would cite the company as being in violation of its permits. Canyon Resources, with State approval should adequately clean up its first mess before we give them the opportunity to make another one. The Washington Post interviewed Alan and Stephanie Shammel owners of a 4000 acre cattle ranch downstream from the CR Kendall mine. The Shammel’s say that their groundwater was con taminated with cyanide, arsenic and other heavy metals leaching through the mines waste rock. Canyon Resources installed pumps to collect the contaminated groundwater. Unfortunately, the pumps dried up some of the natural springs on the Shammel ranch. The Shammel’s say they are struggling to keep their ranch operating and that they have had to sue Canyon Resources for loss of water and pollution of water they still have. Mrs. Shammel believes that they will need water treatment for at least 100 years and that Montanans should be wary of Can yon Resources and its assurances for the future of the Blackfoot river. There are at least 7 other families near the CR Kendall mine that have filed water rights complaints against Canyon Resources. There are similar groundwater contamination problems on ranches and property near the Beal, Basin and Golden Sunlight mines. I have a question for Beaverhead County farm ers and ranchers. Would the value of your ranch or farm be en hanced or at risk if it was located near cyanide heap leach mine that had environmental problems? The mining industry will not be ruined if we, as voters, maintain our ban on open pit cyanide heap leach mines. In 2000, hard rock mining amounted to 1/2 of 1 percent of the state income. Mining has contrib uted 0.2 percent to the net state income growth over the past three decades. Between 1970 and 2000, the number of mining jobs, including coal, oil and gas in the state fell by 728 to a total of 6,597. We lost mining jobs during the period when we were allowed to use cyanide. Maintaining the ban on cyanide heap leach technology will not hurt Montana’s economy. I support the mining industry. I have worked for several mining companies and they are all good stewards of the land. They do not use cyanide heap leach technology. What I don’t support are compa nies that show a blatant contempt to the intelligent people of Montana and think they can contaminate our waters make a few bucks and leave Montana’s taxpayers holding the bag. If we want to continue the Montanan gold min ing tradition there are other viable mining tech niques that pose less risk to the ranches, farms and environment: biological leaching of gold, chemical oxidation and reduction of gold, cyanide vat processing of gold, cyanide agitation of gold, and the Haber gold process All four of the existing cyanide heap leach mines in Montana are closed. They have had serious prob lems. They have contaminated ranches, farms and private property. They continue to cost Montana taxpayers millions of dollars. Initiative 147 is all about Canyon Resources changing the law so it can get a permit to build an open pit cyanide heap leach mine along the Blackfoot River near Lincolo. J f wehave to depend on company like Canyon Resources to save Montana’s mining industry then, we are in a world of hurt. Canyon Resources has not demonstrated that it will do the right thing. The mine on the Blackfoot is not worth the risk. Talk to the people in Lewistown. Talk to the affected ranchers. Talk to the ranchers and farmers downstream from the proposed Blackfoot mine. Would you risk having your groundwater and surface water contaminated into perpetuity? Suppose Canyon Resources built an open pit cyanide heap leach mine on the upper Beaverhead. This is very similar to what Canyon Resources is proposing to do on the Blackfoot. Would it be worth the risk? Suppose, like the previous four mines there was a cyanide spill. This would contaminate the Beaverhead River, the groundwater and, irri gation canals with cyanide contaminated water. Our farms and ranches would not he able to use this water for many years. There would be no fishing on the Beaverhead. Our community would be devastated. We have a responsibility to protect the waters of the folks that live along the Blackfoot river. Just as we would act to protect our own water and land. The few jobs that Canyon Resources will create are not worth the risk. Donit buy into the sales pitch that double liners will prevent leaks. They won’t. Liners leak. Acid mine leachate, groundwa ter contamination and surface water runoff are almost a given, requiring cleanup into perpetuity. The risk is not worth repealing the cyanide heap leach ban. Vote no on 1-147! Scott Ferris Chemical/Environmental Engineer Dillon, MT Montana Street is a pleasure To The Editor: Driving on North Montana Street is a real plea- ! sure now that we've survived most of the con- ! struction. ; It's really encouraging to see the improvements, sidewalks almost finished, even landscaping along the way. This end of Dillon has changed dramatically, : but several things could really make it better. Coats of paint on a number of buildings that are in use, and something done about those which have served their time would make Dillon look attractive and inviting. I could hope that a spirit of finishing what has been started would inspire those who can still make a pleasing difference. Val Neeley Dillon, MT \Stay the course\ To The Editor: The war in Iraq is one of the main issues in this presidential election. One candidate, if elected, wants to make changes to the present policy and the President wants to continue things as they are. I believe I can imagine a way to look at the situa tion that might make it more clear. Place yourself on the bridge of the White Star Line ship Titanic out of Southampton, England on her maiden voyage to New York. It is 1912 and Captain Edward Smith has just received a wire less message warning of possible icebergs. Now suppose Captain Smith has two American Politi cians from the future standing next to him giving him suggestions. Senator Kerry tells the captain to move south to avoid the ice. but President Bush says that would be flip flopping and demands that the captain stay the course. Whose advice would you rather the Titanic's cap tain follow, the advice of Kerry or Bush? Some times, ''Stay the course,” can lead to disaster. Robert Foster Dillon, MT What I find most distressing To The Editor: What I find most distressing about the Bush administration is its formal disapproval of inter national law and the straightforward dismissal of any custom governing the exchange of ideas be tween nations. The President acts according to the narrow interests of a small corporate, and not those of the international community. The world neigh borhood is forced to put off the urgent agenda Off ending poverty and hunger, prevailing over the ever-deepening arroyo between haves and have- nots, or strengthening human rights and the right to national self-determination. Fight against terrorism cannot happen without an energetic struggle against the underlying causes of terrorism which is hate born from hunger, and inequality. The national ignorance, and distorted perceptions of other cultures carefully nurtured by the Bush administration offers simple solu tions to complex problems. There was an absence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. There was no provable con nection between 9/11 and Iraq. The intended fight against a truly evil tyrant (Saddam Hussein) a fprmer ally proves how self- serving foreign policy is. One tyrant among many and many tyrants are U.S. allies, for now, is there no end in sight. We are faced with the fact the War in Iraq is a dead bust and this is the case in point. The ever- changing justifications fora pointless war must be getting wearisome for Bush supporters. The cata strophic postwar occupation left Bush surprised. The completely deficient consideration that an occupied Iraq would rise against the foreign occu piers who could only be seen as a colonial power leaves me sickened. Everyone but Bush knew that Iraqis would try to shape its own political vision out of its many-sided religious and cultural real ity. Hate in the Middle East feeds on the stupidity of Washington. The neoconservatives in Washing ton created a dream world of a simplicity that does not exist, a golden past that never happened, and Christian values that are a complete denial of any decency that Christ may have ever represented. What ever happened to the principles of interna tional law, compassion, honesty or courage? Michael Joseph Francisconi Dillon, MT Contined from page A -l member. Some he agreed with, but for different reasons than those raised by Bergeson. For instance, her allegation, Malesich said, that he \felt by virture of the past water and sewer indebtedness refinancing there was tacit approval of this use of city funds to purchase additional radio control meters,” is actu ally true. Citing state law, Malesich said the refinancing plan did indeed include authority for replacement of the meters. Malesich said the $5.8 million bond refi nancing, engineered by city treasurer Ty Cobb with much of the legal work being done by city attorney W. G. Gilbert, was completed early last year, and took advantage of a major decrease in interest rates. By keeping the current payments the same, and using the low interest rates, the city was able to refinance the entire water and sewer debt of the city. That meant that while payments in some cases on current debts were extended, there was an actual decrease in annual payment costs. That means no increase in water rates, they noted. It also meant that the city has a major pool of money to be used on city improvements in water and sewer related projects, but as part of that bonding process, the projects needed to be itemized for the information of those buying the bonds. That means, Malesich said, that according to state law, authorization of the bonds by the council \con stitutes the appropriation of the bond proceeds for the purpose for which the bonds are authorized.\ Those projects, as outlined in the bond issue, included the following, and the issuance of the bonds were predicated upon that approval: a) relocation of water and sewer service lines on Montana Street in conjunction with a State project (the Montana Department of Transportation's major street project on North Montana) ............ b) construction and installation of storm drains on Montana Street c) sewer additions on Noble Street d) upgrades and installation of water meters e) parking improvements occasioned by modifi cations of water/sewer facilities on Montana Street. f) other capital improvements to the System, ap proved by the Council within the next three years. That means, Malesich pointed out that the slightly more than $2 million available for capital projects, and not the $2.7 million noted in Bergeson's letter. Approximately $200,000 is available for other capital improvements, as provided for in the bond, on a vote of the council. The other projects are, for all practical purposes, Malesich said, approved by virtue of the council having given their approval of the bonding instru ment. Actual amounts in the city's capital projects fund budget for 2003-2004 and 2004-2005, Malesich said, either available or already spent, total: 1) Noble Street Sewer Line Project, $805,114 2) Water Meter Replacement Project, $233,066 3) Montana Street North, Water Sewer Project, $320,639 4) Montana Street Northeast, $98,026 5) Montana Street Lagoon Line East-Sewer, $115,503 6) Montana Street Lagoon Line East-Water, $94,818. 7) Montana Street South, Storm Water Project, $160,393. That totals, Malesich noted, slightly more than $ 2 , 000 , 0000 . Another project, paving of Montana Street South, which is included in the capital improvement bud get and would be done in conjunction with the Mon tana Street South Storm Water project, is not funded through the bond, but will be funded in part by the street maintenance fund, if approved by the council. Contrary to Bergeson's claims in her letter, the Mayor said, the approximately $2 million in capital improvement funds from the refinancing is used specifically for those projects, and is pot a fund where other expenses can be allocated. Some expenses, however, like attorney and engi neering fees, are legitimate costs that are assigned there, as part of allowable expenses for the projects. Bergeson specifically challenged the water meter project. Her letter, both Malesich and Turner noted, had some basic misconceptions, including the cost of the new water meters. Bergeson quoted a price of $287 per meter, refer ring to an article in the Dillon Tribune. \The paper had it right,\ Malesich said. T he cost is actually $187.22 for a complete meter, including the meter and transmitter.\ That breaks down, as reported in the paper, ats $92.50 for the meter alone and $95.22 for the remote control reader, he noted. Approxi mately 500 of the current meters are a type that can be upgraded with the transmitter alone. During the time since April 2003, when the coun cil approved a test purchase of 100 complete meters, the city has actually installed another 112 meters (with readers) and upgraded another 141 with trans mitters. The first 100 complete meters were paid for with approval of the council, in the amount of $17,600, a special trial price that also included two special receivers to read the meters without getting out of the truck. The other meters and transmitters were not paid from the refinancing funds, Malesich said, but came from regularly budgeted Operations and Mainte- nance money and from the Reserve and Deprecia tion accounts from the utility accounts. As meters go bad, the Mayor noted, or as situa tions arise, such as dog incidents, then the meters ai*e replaced. \Last month alone, Malesich said, \we found 10 meters reading zero.\ The 253 meters, either complete or just trans mitters, were part of regular replacements and were purchased to keep consistency with the newer meters. The additional meters have also reduced 2-3 work days a month from city employees who are cur rently reading the meters. When the project is complete, the total amount of worker days saved will be from eight to nine days a month, to approximately 4 hours, since the meters will be read from a vehicle, without getting out or going into property. Although Bergeson challenged whether there are actual savings, both Malesich and Turner ada mantly refuted that challenge. An immediate savings was achieved by ending a $20,000 contract with a private individuals to read the meters two years ago; then continued cuts in the amount of time needed by city employees to read the meters are freeing up workers for other jobs. In addition, as shown by testing of replaced meters, there is an approximate savings of eight percent in under-read meters, ending a loss in ac tual water revenue. That is close to the eight to 10 percent predicted with the original purchase, and allows a payout, in addition to savings in employment costs of approxi mately $10,000 per year when the project is com pleted, of from six to eight years. A misconception in Bergeson's letter is the ac tual cost of the project. \It is not $467;000 as she notes, but rather, approximately $290,500. That in cludes 1300 new complete meters at $187 each and about 500 replacement transmitters at about $95 each.\ ! \We have spent about $52,000 to date, including the original purchase and replacement. J The $233,000 provided in the refinancing paclo age essentially covers the rest, he noted, and added that in August the council did approve on a 5-2 voté placing $100,000 of that funding source toward f major purchase of meters that would provide ap> proximately of the meters needed to be intalleti Malesich said the rest are planned to be purchase^ in the next fiscal year, since the price quoted by the supplier is good for three years only. 1 There is also a misconception in how costs o! administrative officials are allocated, he noted. [ Both Turner and Malesich explained that thç law provides a reasonable allocation of expenses among certain major revenue sources. That is con firmed, the Mayor noted, by Norman Kline, with the Department of State Administration, who noted that there is no set allocation formula, but rather what is \reasonable.\ The city generally allocates the expenses of the Mayor, the Director of Operations and the Clerk among several basic areas, including the general fund, water, sewer, streets and cemetery. Last year, for instance, the mayors expenses, including salary, was split 30 percent general, 35 percent water, 35 percent sewer. The director of operations had a 15 percent allocation to the gen eral fund, and 35 each to water and sewer and 15 percent to streets. The clerk was allocated 45 percent from gen eral, 25 percent from water and sewer (eachj) and five percent from the cemetery. This year the budget called fro more allocation of water and sewer money to the basic depart ments to supplement the general fund, reducing the mayor to 20 percent general fund and the clerk to 25 percent general fund. The council later set the budget budget to last's year's allocated rates. That move, Turner and the mayor noted, meant the necessity to cut one percent from the current budget, something that both men said wasn’t neces sary because the allocation was actually a reason able split based on the duties of each individual. Bergeson also addressed in her letter, the wages and contract of the city attorney, both Turner and Malesich defended not only the pay arrangement, but the work that the official, W. G. Gilbert, has been doing for the city. Bergeson alleges that the city attorney is work ing without a contract, something both Turner and Malesich agree is true. But it's not for lack of try ing, they stressed. Shortly after Gilbert was appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council, he submitted a con tract proposal that for all basic purposes, they said, was identical to that which former city attorney Andy Suenram had been working under. That essentially provided $90 an hour for 55. billable hours a month, and the same for work per formed above that, or for special projects. That original contract was made with then mayor Jim Wilson in 1997, and was based on prior agreements, but was apparently not signed. The rate was in creased to $100 an hour in July 2001. The only substantial change was an arrange ment where Gilbert would be paid retirement, based on the fact he was already vested in the program. See CITY on page A-13
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(Dillon, Mont), October 06, 2004
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(Dillon, Mont), October 06, 2004
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(Dillon, Mont), October 06, 2004
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(Dillon, Mont), October 06, 2004
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(Dillon, Mont), October 06, 2004
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(Dillon, Mont), October 06, 2004
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(Dillon, Mont), October 06, 2004
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(Dillon, Mont), October 06, 2004
