From a March 7, 2008 Editorial in the New York Times:
“Half of the waters in the United States are at risk of pollution or destructive development because of a wrongheaded Supreme Court decision in 2006. The decision narrowed the scope of the Clean Water Act, weakened the law’s safeguards and thoroughly confused the federal agencies responsible for enforcing it.”
The following is from a 3/6/08 FN Arena news story:
“Remember uranium? It was not that long ago the uranium price was going to the moon and every one who could lay claim to any old piece of dirt was sticking up a shingle and calling itself a uranium start-up. But while every commodity from oil, to gold, to copper and wheat has been rocketing in 2008, the uranium price has remained steadfastly depressed. No one seems much interested anymore – there are other opportunities at play – and there are plenty of small investors looking at losses in their portfolios from once promising uranium juniors (and seniors as well, for that matter). What has happened?”
Here are some story’s on sucessful opposition movements from around the world.
Mendoza, Argentina says no more mining!
Peru Town votes on mine plan amid pollution fears
Eastern European Governements Agree to Tackle Mining Pollution
The following is from a March 2 story in the Deseret Morning News.
” Salt Lake County ranks second in the nation as a depository for the most materials containing toxic substances.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s annual report of the top 20 counties in the country that have these deposits, 120.3 million pounds of materials containing toxic substances were deposited in Salt Lake County in 2007.
That puts Salt Lake County behind Alaska’s Northwest Arctic County, with 615.3 million pounds of materials deposited, but ahead of Humboldt County, Nev., which had 84.6 million pounds of materials deposited — and 17 other counties with smaller numbers.
Ostensibly, Salt Lake County’s numbers are so high because Kennecott Utah Copper, one of the world’s largest copper mines, is located in the county.”
The following is from a March 1, commentary ran in the Statesman.com
“Nineteenth-century explorer John Wesley Powell wrote that “the wonders of the Grand Canyon cannot be adequately represented in symbols of speech, nor by speech itself. The resources of the graphic art are taxed beyond their powers in attempting to portray its features. Language and illustration combined must fail.”
You would think that the federal government would have the power to protect a place so extraordinary that it leaves visitors at a loss for words. But under the 1872 Mining Law, the Forest Service said its hands were tied when it approved uranium mining operations a stone’s throw from a national treasure.”
Click here for the whole story
Click here for additional information on our threatened national tresures!
“Vince Bevins, Powell Township supervisor, and Jim Gauthier, from the Powell Township Planning Commission, sponsored an “Economic Business Meeting”, March 3, at the Powell Township Hall, in Big Bay. Their guest presenters were Jon Cherry, Kennecott Eagle Project manager; Bill Henry, a project planner for Kennecott; and Gregg Nominelli, from the Lake Superior Community Partnership. The meeting, intended to outline economic opportunities related to Kennecott’s potential mining activity, was attended by 64 citizens. Bevins said that he, and Gauthier, initiated the meeting because the Big Bay “economy is going down the toilet.””
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore may house the newest Wilderness are in Michigan.
“MUNISING — The effort to designate the 11,739 acres of the Beaver Basin as wilderness at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is making its way to Congress.
The National Park Service is working to finalize the establishment of the Beaver Basin Wilderness Area, which is one component of the park’s General Management Plan completed and approved in 2004 after five years of planning and extensive public involvement.”
Click Here for the full story in the Mining Journal
TRAVERSE CITY, MI — A recent report released by a coalition of Great Lakes area local governments argues that the federal governments of the United States and Canada are not shouldering their fair shares of costs to care for the lakes, said a recent Associated Press story.
The report claimed local governments spend about $15 billion annually on Great Lakes environmental programs while the