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Protect Buckhorn Mountain

Current Mine Proposal Latest News and Alerts

Crown Resources, a fully owned subsidiary of Kinross Gold Corporation, submitted an Amended Plan of Operation to the regulatory agencies in February 2004. The new Plan is for an underground mine and cyanide leach mill and tailings pond with the ore transported in 100 trips down and up Marias Creek Road and the Kettle River Road to Kinross Gold formerly (Echo Bay Minerals), Key Mill near Republic.
The Washington State Department of Ecology has issued a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement.(SEIS) for the proposed mine. The Forest Service issued a final Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and Record of Decision for the haul road and other facilities for the proposed mine on January 17, 2007.

Ecology has been issuing permits for the mine. OHA has appealed many of the permits the latest being the NPDES Waste Discharge premit. (See press release)

Ecology Publishes Last Draft Water Right
To Dewater Buckhorn
More Comments Requested


The dewatering of Buckhorn Mountain would be the most damaging aspects of the proposed mine. Ecology proposes allowing Kinross to bleed all the water to extract the heart of gold.

This is your last chance to let Ecology know how displeased you are with their failure to protect the public's water and other interests. Let them know what you expect of them and why.

Comments due Novemver 11, 2007

Send Comments to:
Mark Schuppe Department of Ecology
15 West Yakima Ave Suite 200
Yakima, WA 98902
msch461@ecy.wa.gov
The draft Record of Examination for the water right can be seen at:
https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/wrx/wrx/roe/wrroe_draft.aspx?region_cd=CRO

Suggested comments


Online Newsletter of the Okanogan Highlands Alliance
Buckhorn Bulletin

October 2007, Vol 2, No 11, Okanogan Highlands Nature Bankruptcy Protection Needed

Ecology Issues Permits:
The Water Rights Shell Game: Dewatering Buckhorn Mountain
Degradation NOT in Public Interest: Water Quality Certification
Marias Creek Road Threatened by Mine
Waste Discharge Appeal
A New Sound: What Are Jake Brakes?
Buckhorn Mountain Project Lacks Adequate Mitigation
Living on Buckhorn
From The Pits

April 2007

OHA Appeals Forest Service EIS for Road Access and Other Facilities
Ecology to Issue Water Rights: Places Kinross Interests Over Public Interest
Follow the Waste - Infiltration Gallery
Mitigation or Lack thereof
Public Trust Doctrine

 

November 2006

OHA Appeals Ecology's Permits and SEIS for Proposed Mine
Colville Tribes oppose Mining on Buckhorn
Aquatic Resources Mitigation Plan
Adaptive Management Plan
NPDES Comment NEEDED
EPA rates DEIS - Environmental Concern

Articles from previous Buckhorn Bulletins and other historical information


Time line

 

Background documents:
Forest Service EA for
Buckhorn Mountain Access Road and Related Activities Project:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/oka/projects/buckhorn-mine/buckhorn.shtml

Sample comments regarding the Forest Service EA

EPA's comments regarding the Forest Service EA

draft Suppemental EIS and some supporting documentation are available at:
http://www.buckhornseis.com/

Sample Comments regarding the DSEIS

EPA's comments regarding the DSEIS


The agencies and the company can be reached at:

Tonasket Ranger District
1 Winesap
Tonasket, WA 98855
(509) 486-5137

pchristy@fs.fed.us

WA State Department of Ecology
15 West Yakima ve, Suite 200
Yakima, WA 98902
(509) 457-7120
dsan461@ecy.wa.gov

 

Water Rights (May 2006)

- The System Is Broken -

Please help us by expressing your outrage to Ecology.
Tell them these permit approvals are unacceptable.
Also please send a copy to Governor Gregoire so she knows what is going on too.

Tell Ecology
The Crown/Kinross plan is clearly not in the public interest. Let Ecology know we are watching and expect the agency to protect the public interest.

The proposed mine is expected to permanently impair senior water users and the hydrologic system that instream flows for fisheries depend on and the mitigation Crown/Kinross offers to offset these impacts would itself further degrade water quality. Ecology’s fragmentation of the decision making process will not alter the fact that the mine proposed by Crown/Kinross is fatally flawed.
As written, the construction storm water and air quality permits amount to self-monitoring, self-regulation, and self-enforcement. Essentially, Crown/Kinross is proposing that, if something happens, somebody will do something sometime. This is unacceptable. State enforcement would be essential. The state needs to take a proactive role in preventing heavy metals and sediments into groundwater and local streams. All discharges should be regulated under the more stringent NPDES permit. The current permit processing typifies the piecemeal, patchwork approach that sank BMG’s proposed Crown Jewel Mine and Crown/Kinross has tried to use during the entire review process. It won’t work on Buckhorn Mountain.

Jay Manning, Director,
Dept. of Ecology, PO Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504

Governor Christine Gregoire,
Governors Office Legislative Bldg.
Olympia, WA 98504

 

The Place  The Vision The Threat
Okanogan Highlands Alliance
PO Box 163
Tonasket, WA 98855
OHA's
Mission Statement
contact OHA at: kliegoha@televar.com

Other interesting links

last updated: October 2007