|
|
|
Advertisements
|
|
|
|
THE NEXT SPOTTED OWL
Environmental Article by Harold
Hough April/May 2008
The new poster animal for radical
environmentalists isn’t the polar bear – it doesn’t impact enough evil
mining companies. No, the new animal is the Greater sage grouse, which has the
ability to bring mining in the West to a complete stop just as the spotted owl
ruined the Northwest lumber industry.
The sage grouse may not be a cute
and cuddly as the polar bear or panda, but it is more dangerous to the American
mining industry than either of these animals. The sage grouse has a range that
covers 11 states going from North Dakota to California, including 75% of
Wyoming. And, after a federal court ruling last year, the Fish and Wildlife
Service is once again reviewing the sage grouse’s status under the Endangered
Species Act. If the ruling identifies the sage grouse as an endangered species,
current and future mining operations, including the critical coal mines in
Wyoming, could be drastically restricted.
Fortunately, government,
environmental, and industry groups are fighting back. When the sage grouse was
first mentioned as a possible endangered species a few years ago, action was
taken to boost numbers of sage grouse. Government and industry worked to study
the sage grouse and its mating habits. Coal mining companies in Wyoming
developed reclamation plans with the idea of increasing sage grouse mating
habitat. And, the Bureau of Land Management instituted a National Sage Grouse
Habitat Conservation Strategy.
One success story was the
reclamation program of the Colowyo Coal Mine, which developed its reclamation
program with the grouse in mind. Today, some of the 1,500 acres of land under
reclamation by Colowyo are being used by the grouse for mating and habitation.
Another mining related success was Barrick Gold’s Squaw Valley Ranch, where
the company restored grouse habitat destroyed by fire.
It appeared that the sage grouse
projects were working. Populations that had been declining since the Great
Depression were finally stabilizing. In 2005, the Fish and Wildlife service
ruled, to the environmentalists’ consternation, that the grouse didn’t meet
the standards of an endangered species. It looked like another state/mining
industry partnership success.
Unfortunately, the environmental
movement didn’t let the ruling stop them. They sued on the grounds that the
government had made its ruling with the interests of the ranching and natural
resources industries in mind. They also claimed that new threats like the West
Nile virus and drilling for methane on the Wyoming plains were destroying grouse
habitat. This gave them enough excuse to find a federal judge in Idaho to rule
that the Fish and Wildlife Service had to review its 2005 decision and make a
new ruling by May 2009. A public comment period will be open until May 27, 2008
for all interested parties.
If that ruling lists the sage
grouse as an endangered species, the mining industry could face real problems.
For instance, the Wyoming coal industry is a major source for coal and methane
energy. Yet, it’s very possible that these operations could be severely
impacted, which would increase coal and natural gas prices across the country.
We in the industry do have some
choices. First, is to participate in the public comment period by providing
reclamation success stories and showing how mine reclamation can actually help
bring the species back. The second is to vote in November. The new decision is
due in May 2009, which means that whoever wins the White House in November will
be appointing those officials who will have the final say in the decision. We
know if that White House occupant is a Democrat, the grouse will end up on the
Endangered Species list. Senator McCain, however, has a pro-mining record.
Elections do count and the 2008
election is critical for the industry. The Hardrock Mining Act of 2007 was only
stopped by pro-mining senators after being passed by the House of
Representatives. If we want to continue to stop laws and regulations that harm
mining, we have to make our voice heard at the ballot box.
|
