Vox Pop - Protecting environment needs to be priority for mine

Vox Pop

Mining has been important to human civilization for at least 20,000 years. Perhaps our biggest challenge is population growth (remember the campaign for ZPG)? Today, regulation and licensing of mining is more important and challenging than ever.

Thanks to the Star News report on October 19, we learned a lot about the plans regarding a possible mine in northwestern Taylor County. Apparently GreenLight Metals CEO, Ilsley Colton, indicated that copper is designated as a “critical mineral”, which is definitely NOT the case, as defined by federal law for the mining permit process. The actual list can be found at https://www. usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/us-geologicalsurvey- releases-2022-list-critical-minerals. While zinc and tellurium are listed as critical minerals, their abundance and economics for extraction at the Bend Deposit are yet to be determined, pending the results of ongoing exploration.

The article indicated that “the federal government has given additional emphasis on the development of these critical minerals and has streamlined the federal permitting process putting it under the Department of Defense rather than the Department of Interior.” But it is also important to note that the important permitting process through the Wisconsin DNR will still apply even if the project were part of a FAST-41.

The important point on mining permits is not who issues the permits or how fast, but that a proper evaluation is made and the environment protected as well as possible before, during, and after any mining operation.

— Scott Stalheim, Medford