State has more questions for Mt. Emmons mine study proposal

Town will insist on watershed permit

The State of Colorado has told the Mount Emmons Project that several issues still need to be resolved before the group can begin moving toward construction of a new drift, or tunnel, in Mt. Emmons with the ultimate goal of mining molybdenum.

The request for the authorization to do some work in and around Mt. Emmons was filed by U.S. Energy, the owner of the mining patents that are being leased to Thompson Creek Metals Company. A letter from the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (DRMS) dated June 17 outlined several major issues yet to be resolved.
“U.S. Energy is not authorized by DRMS to proceed with the 2000 level drift project until DRMS issues written approval,” the letter states. “DRMS approval does not preclude the need to obtain any other approval or authorizations that may be required.”
The town of Crested Butte noticed that in the letter and plans to act accordingly. “We will draw up a letter to U.S. Energy and tell them before any work can be conducted, they will have to obtain a watershed permit from the town,” said town manager Susan Parker. “We have made that clear to them all along.”
The letter from the state noted other issues: “The DRMS has determined that it is necessary to require sufficient reclamation bond to safely close both the existing 2000 level adit (access shaft) portal and the proposed new adit portal. . . The DRMS approval was with the understanding that temporarily stockpiling of waste rock from driving of underground workings would not persist more than one winter season. Please affirm U.S. Energy’s commitment to abide by this requirement.”
The letter asks for a description of how “leachate” will be collected and contained. Leachate is a product or solution containing contaminants picked up through the leaching of soil. More detail on explosives is requested. The DRMS also wants clarification about possible new roads shown on a map submitted by U.S. Energy and how they will be reclaimed. The DRMS letter indicates the mine could take out and store up to 15,000 cubic yards of waste rock but there must be sufficient bond money to reclaim that rock.
High Country Citizens Alliance executive director Dan Morse said it is obvious from the letter that much work remains for the mining company.
“There are still several outstanding issues with significant impacts from the proposal that need to be addressed and U.S. Energy hasn’t addressed them so far,” Morse said. “Not the least of those is that when you look at the big picture of what they are proposing, what they’re really trying to do is develop a mine, not conduct prospecting to see if there is something there to mine.”
Morse said it is important to watch and see if the mining company will file for a Crested Butte watershed permit. “U.S. Energy needs to make it clear that it is willing to comply with the town watershed ordinance by applying for a permit. They haven’t done that as of yet,” he said.
“Another huge thing is that this proposal calls for taking out up to 15,000 cubic yards of waste rock and they plan to store it on the surface of our watershed,” Morse said. “That could cause acid mine drainage and they need to prove they have plans for facilities to deal with that risk. They haven’t done that. They need to show they can manage the risk of acid mine drainage.”
Mining company spokesperson Perry Anderson said it is all part of the progression. “This is part of a long process,” said Anderson, Mount Emmons Project director of community relations. “We asked for a modification to the application submitted in 2007 for a new drift in the mountain. No decision has been made to move forward on that idea but permitting is time-consuming and we felt we needed to get our ducks in a row.”
Anderson said the company is investigating all the permits that would be needed if it decides to move forward on the drift project.