USFS to host meetings on new mining proposal

Tuesday in Gunnison, Wednesday in Mt. Crested Butte

Two informational meetings concerning the proposed molybdenum mine on Mt. Emmons will be held by the U.S. Forest Service in the valley next week. The first will take place Tuesday, January 25 at the South Ballroom at the Western State College Student Center from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. On Wednesday, January 26, the meeting will be held in Mt. Crested Butte at the Lodge at Mountaineer Square Conference Center from 7 to 9:30 p.m.

Gunnison district ranger John Murphy said that while these will be public meetings, they are not public hearings and no “testimony” will be taken or heard.
“The objectives are to allow interested folks to learn more about what is proposed for the baseline studies and what the role of the Forest Service is in these projects and proposals, including how we comply with the NEPA process,” he commented.
The proposal calls for the mining company to dig several bore holes and test pits as well as utilize helicopters to conduct the tests around the proposed mine and infrastructure sites.
Murphy said it is important for citizens to “know the sideboards of our authority, as well as to provide them an opportunity to discuss the proposed work with the resource specialists.”
Forester Jeff Burch is the project leader on the baseline studies proposal. He said he envisions the format of the meetings to be informal and informational. “We’ll start with a 35-or 40-minute presentation with limited questions and answers about the process for this proposal,” he said. “U.S. Energy will be asked to give a short overview of their plan. We hope to explain at the meeting the authority that the Forest Service is operating under and talk about the decisions that the Forest Service can and cannot make. We want to stay focused on the proposal for the baseline studies.”
After the presentation of basic information about the proposal, those attending the meetings will be asked to follow an informal “open house”-type format. Four or five information displays will be set up in the rooms.
According to Burch, the agency has arranged for meeting facilitation by a third party. Kathleen Bond of KTB Decision Resources Inc. has been hired to facilitate the meetings.
She has worked with the GMUG Forest in the past and Burch said she does a great job as a neutral facilitator. He said she would also be used to help manage and ultimately analyze the meetings.
Burch emphasized the two meetings next week are meant to be informational. “We don’t want this to become a hearing format,” he said. “We’re there to answer questions about the proposal and the process. We hope to share information that will enable people to offer comments but not in these particular meetings. We will be taking written comments over the proposal and we hope the information from these meetings will help formulate people’s comments.”
High Country Citizens’ Alliance executive director Dan Morse said he hopes people will show up at the meetings to gather information about the baseline studies and then make their opinions known to the Forest Service. “We feel that the Forest Service needs to be more aware of the latitude they have in analyzing proposals of this sort, the ability to condition their approval to protect the environment and accepting public input in the broadest possible way,” Morse said. “We encourage people to go to these meetings and let the Forest Service know their opinion and concerns on impacts from this proposal. Citizens should personalize the input based on the impacts to them. If they think helicopters flying around on the weekends will impact their quiet days or hikes, they should say so.”
MEMCO director of community relations Perry Anderson said the mining company would participate in the gatherings however the Forest Service indicates. “The public meetings will be hosted by the U.S. Forest Service, and the agency is currently discussing how MEMCO might participate,” he said.
For more information on the proposal, visit www.fs.usda.gov/goto/gmug/projects and click on “View a Listing of all Projects,” then on the Mount Emmons baseline study.