Environmentalists, miners remain at odds over land’s treatment

Alison Calkins

Monday, Sept. 30, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

THESE days, the Nevada mining industry touts its environmental and reclamation efforts.

Gone are the days when miners could recklessly tear up the earth and leave it with wounds that wouldn't heal, according to Nevada Mining Association President Mike Doyle.

He said that reclamation is now an integral part of every mining operation in Nevada.

While admitting that the land can never be returned to its original state, he said every effort is made to minimize mining's impact -- such as reclaiming areas at the same time that mining takes place and designing programs that stabilize soil and control erosion, recontour land, replace topsoil, and fertilize and reseed areas to restore native plants and grasses.

He said protection of water and wildlife habitats are also a critical part of all management programs.

"The state recognizes that mining is a big business and a good business. The state has one of the best regulatory programs in the country. It protects the environment but still allows us to use the resource. We work closely with state agencies on these things. It's important to the industry and we're making sure things are taken care of," Doyle said.

But that's a point soundly disputed by the environmental community.

Elyssa Rosen, program director for the Great Basin Mine Watch, acknowledged that the industry has improved its standards. But not nearly enough.

"It's all relative. The state has some regulations that are advanced compared to other western states. But as far as applications and enforcement, there's no teeth," she said. "The context here is that we have the worst disturbance in Nevada than anywhere in the country."

Rosen said that while some companies are cleaning up their acts, there are some serious problems yet to be resolved.

Like cyanide leaching, still the most common method of extracting minerals from ore.

"There's literally tons of old heaps sitting around that are not cleaned. They leak acid and it trickles all over the Great Basin. Cyanide is very toxic to water, wildlife and humans," she said, adding that in spite of what the mining industry says, deadly chemically contaminated water continues to flow in Nevada.

In regard to the emerging technologies that appear to make things better, she said enough is not yet known.

"There aren't enough studies by the state and the mining industry. The problem is that we're just not protective enough of our public resources," she said.

Glenn Miller, a professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, McKay School of Mining, agreed.

In fact, he's currently working on a contaminated acid mining drainage site on the Carson River.

"Mining is an issue too often ignored in Nevada. I am very concerned about mining issues, particularly gold mining in the Humboldt River Basin. And I'm growing increasingly concerned with the lack of regulation on some of these things," he said.

The Environmental Information Center is a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying organization that serves as an advocate for clean air, water and endangered species legislation.

Spokesman Dan Geary said the group is currently working to expand the "Right To Know Act" of the 1980s that requires companies to tell the public what toxic chemicals they're using and how they're using them.

"Right now, there's a movement to expand the act to include the mining industry. Currently they are not included. Odds are, the mining industry will be added," he said.

Geary noted that Nevada is home to some responsible mining companies.

"We're not here to whip on the mining industry. We just want them to tell people what chemicals are being used and how they're being disposed of," he said.