Dear Editors: Friday’s optimistic Sentinel editorial – “Promise of mine jobs worth embracing” – aptly chronicles the prospect of eventually (in five years) adding 224 high-paying jobs to our ever-diversifying economy via the proposed Book Cliff Mine project. Consequently, every aspiring local politico should understandably endorse that prospect – even if with differing degrees of enthusiasm, given the many remaining uncertainties. However, as the Sentinel implies – citing the Grand Junction Economic Partnership’s hopeful assessment that the project “would provide a big economic boost to the region, and present little in the way of negative impacts” (except on recreational access) – there may be “devils in the details”. Moreover, because the Sentinel properly opines that “sooner would be better than later”, it is never too soon to consider what those minimal “negative impacts” might be. Thus, while the mine will be far below the leased area, some surface disturbance is unavoidable – with truck and/or rail traffic raising clouds of dust -- which could increase the concentration of “particulates” already in the Grand Valley’s air-shed (particularly during ever-more-frequent “inversions”), and could (at least temporarily) exacerbate local non-attainment of air quality standards and accelerate the imposition of mandatory compliance measures under the Clean Air Act and/or Colorado’s recently adopted stricter air pollution regulations. Likewise, dust clouds could impair the statutorily protected view-sheds of the Colorado National Monument (or “Park”) and/or the quality of Colorado River water. Similarly, just as the oil and gas industry is now required to capture 95% of its emitted methane, so too should the mine be subject to similar permit conditions – since methane emissions are inherent in coal mining. Finally, consistent with the Sentinel’s (and President Obama’s) advocacy of “an all of the above strategy”, scoping might also consider the feasibility of co-locating a solar and/or wind turbine “farm” on the surface above the mine. Bill Hugenberg
Posted on: Sun, 09 Mar 2014 05:22:19 +0000
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