Longwall Mining
Advertisement




Advertisement




Advertisement




Advertisement




Advertisement




Advertisement




Advertisement




Advertisement




Colorado Lawmakers Propose Legislation to Prevent Environmental Harm from New Mining

Published: March 22, 2018 |

[Click image to enlarge]

Colorado lawmakers on Tuesday took a step toward preventing future mining disasters while acknowledging that contamination of waterways from old mining sites continues each day.

They rolled out legislation, immediately opposed by industry, that would require mining companies to make reclamation plans that include an end date for water treatment to remove pollution. Proponents say this would force a responsible assessment, before mining begins, of how best to minimize harm.

The bill also would force companies to post better financial assurance to cover costs of cleanup.

“Water’s our most valuable resource. Protecting our water is always an effort we should undertake in the legislature,” said Rep. Dylan Roberts, D-Eagle, a bill sponsor. “This year, our water supply could be very scarce and making sure that water is clean is of huge importance.

Colorado Mining Association president Stan Dempsey said his organization will fight the bill.  “We’ve been looking at it since September and it appears to be anti-mining,” Dempsey said. “It appears to be a bill designed to prohibit new mining in Colorado.”

Neither state nor federal lawmakers have taken action to address the continuing incremental harm from hundreds of existing inactive mines around Colorado. Old mines discharge the equivalent of a Gold King Mine spill every couple of weeks.

“This bill is an important, yet moderate, step forward in addressing Colorado’s mining woes. If it were to pass, there would certainly still be more work to do,” Conservation Colorado water advocate Kristin Green said. “Even moderate policy such as this by no means has a clear path to the governor’s desk. ….. This bill will not solve our existing problems, but it works to ensure the problem is not getting worse.”

Mining in the 19th century spurred the development of Colorado and produced minerals that propelled the United States as a rising world power. Yet pollution from old mining operations still hurts water quality. State officials have designated more than 1,600 miles of rivers and streams impaired due to contamination with acidic metals-laced drainage.

Some of the state’s worst pollution of waterways, exceeding the legal limits set by the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment, leaks out of inactive mines.

The CDPHE and the Department of Natural Resources Division of Mining, Reclamation and Safety currently oversee water treatment plants designed to run perpetually to reduce contamination. Annual costs to Colorado taxpayers for running one of those operations, at the Summitville Mine along Alamosa River headwaters, is expected to reach $2.2 million starting in 2022.

“The DMRS is doing everything they can with the resources they have. Unfortunately, those resources don’t go very far when you have expensive water-quality problems,” said Jeff Parsons, senior attorney for the Western Mining Action Project, which for years has lobbied for federal-level reforms. Unlike coal mines, hard-rock mines aren’t required to pay royalties that could help fund environmental restoration work.

A state requirement that companies submit reclamation plans specifying an end date for when water-cleaning no longer would be necessary is aimed at preventing perpetual treatment as a remedy. The bill also would require companies posting financial assurance bond money to include costs of protecting water, to reduce taxpayer vulnerability. And the bill would eliminate “self-bonding.” Colorado remains one of seven states where companies can self bond, or cover themselves, without posting recoverable assets.

Source: The Denver Post


Be in-the-know when you’re on-the-go!

FREE eNews delivery service to your email twice-weekly. With a focus on lead-driven news, our news service will help you develop new business contacts on an on-going basis.
CLICK HERE to register your email address.

Advertisement




Advertisement




Advertisement




Advertisement




Advertisement




Advertisement




Advertisement




Advertisement