Tomczyk raises question about proposed mining
Vox Pop
Juliana Riemann is correct when it comes to the economic impact extraction mining will have on any given area because eventually the minerals are gone.
Once the ore is removed and there is no more the mine will be closed, local jobs created by the mine (usually very few) will be gone permanently, most employees (professional miners) will move on to another mine and another location. At that moment it’s simply goodbye to any economic benefits of that mine. They are only a short term boost to the general public but become a large disappointment to that general public.
Their demands, needs and potential destruction of so much upon the local community and area can far outweigh any benefits.
Miners, as Juliana wrote, are specialists in their fields. They travel from mine to mine. Very few locals (if any) are hired to work underground or operate the huge machinery of open pit mines.
Tunnel mines and deep open pit mines have water seepage. Sometimes large or small water veins are opened. No matter any size, the water will eventually flood the mine and stop ore extraction. It must be constantly pumped out 24/7 day after day!
This water, how many potential millions of gallons will probably be classified as contaminated by the state DNR, not fit for human use or the environment.
Will they try to purify or treat that water and say it is now safe then pump it into the Yellow River, hence the Chequamegon Waters (Miller Dam), Lake Wissota and all points after? Will they simply truck it away and somehow dispose of it? Will they create a large lake lined with clay, cement or plastic and say there never will be any leakage?
The gold and copper is impregnated into the ore (we would call it rock or stone) as particles and flecks. The ore must be extracted from the earth then the gold and copper extracted from the ore.
Which means it must go through a removal process to become the metals we know. I’m very sure (positive) the mining company is not going to build such a facility at the mine location.
Which means all the ore will need to be transported to a finishing facility and this is most likely in Canada. Which means trucks or railroad cars. One or the other or both which will require better built roads and many more railroad tracks.
The closest train tracks in use is probably in Gilman. This track leads to Superior and points into Minnesota then Canada.
Would the company (or railroad) build a spur to the mine location which means crossing private lands, national forest property (the public’s forest) with the possibility of court battles and eminent domain coming into play.
Or would they use trucks to transport the ore to railroad or finishing facilities. The mine is estimated to have about 4,500,000 tons of ore (more or less). This equates to 200,000 truckloads depending on the truck and weight limits. If trucks are used that amounts to about 400,000 or more trips both directions.
Could any forest, township, county or state road handle this type of heavy truck traffic and work load without expensive road improvements and maintenance.
Either method is hugely problematic to the affected townships, county and all the citizens.
What will happen when the ore is finally gone and the mine closed? If it is a tunnel mine as they say, will the ports into the mine be permanently sealed forever to protect civilians and the public? If it is an open pit mine (as Ladysmith was) will it be back filled (as Ladysmith was) to the point of not knowing a mine once existed at that location?
Will the mine site itself be cleaned up, recovered to the environment and any contamination removed? Will there be guarantees against any future contamination? Will the company stay in existence to enforce those very guarantees?
Would this be the same for any railroad spurs built? Would the tracks and ties be removed, fill, gravel and stone gone, bridges removed, fields restored to their previous condition, the route through the forest restored back to nature?
What about the roads? Will the company contribute heavily to the road maintenance which I’m sure would be much beyond normal? Or would the county and taxpayers need to dig deeper into almost empty pockets?
Will the company somehow, like it happens so often, declare the famous words “I’m broke, can’t pay” and pass the mess back to the state and county and the citizens? Lawyers somehow always “bend” the rules of government and its well intentions.
Juliana is right in what she puts on paper. Unless the mine has a hundred years supply of minerals to be extracted, mines such as this potential extraction has nothing to offer the local economy of the area over the long term. They simply find it dig it, take it, leave it. It’s done, quickly and gone.
They are not in for the long term such as Tombstone Pizza (Nestlé), Marathon Cheese, Enerquip, Sierra Pacific, Aspirus Health, Melvin’s or so many others in the close surrounding area. They will not support local schools, institutions, or local government simply because of their short life span in the area. They seek only huge profits into their pockets. What the mine company wants is for their benefit only and only their benefit.
I believe there will be no royalties to the township, county or state even as the goodness of this earth belongs to all the people of this earth.
If the mine would be allowed to proceed, to the citizens of Taylor County, all those who enjoy the national forest and Chequamegon Waters ask hard questions of cause, effect and reward. Ensure somehow the “buck” will never be passed to yourself, future generations or the American public.
— Walter Tomczyk, Dorchester
