Montana voters to decide whether to impose stricter mining standards

[TexasTowelie]

One of the most contentious ballot issues facing Montana voters this fall is whether to deny permits to mines that require perpetual treatment of water.

Initiative 186 received nearly 45,000 signatures to earn a spot on the ballot with a message touting the importance of clean water to Montana’s economy and health.

The initiative would prohibit the Montana Department of Environmental Quality from issuing a new mining permit unless the applicant shows “clear and convincing evidence” that the mine’s reclamation plan contains “measures sufficient to prevent the pollution of water without the need for perpetual treatment.”

Backers of I-186 Yes for Responsible Mining point to a litany of past environmental degradation from mining. Some of those include historic mining absent environmental regulations, but also more recent contamination left by bankrupt companies and insufficient reclamation bonding. The initiative is about ensuring that the mistakes of the past are not repeated, they say, and that the legislature has failed to pass adequate legislation.

Read more: https://billingsgazette.com/news/government-and-politics/montana-voters-to-decide-whether-to-impose-stricter-mining-standards/article_0ff1ac20-e960-5fae-b4a6-54c22456baed.html

[SWBTATTReg]

1. Hope this makes it (I 186)...too many companies have damaged the environment ...

in pursuit of riches and then left, leaving all of the crap behind and not doing anything about it. And the long term residents are stuck w/ the aftermath.

In parts of Missouri (and I'm sure everyone in every state has a similar story), we see it everywhere we look, where mining companies have come and gone, leaving a big mess in their wake, and no jobs, nothing to show for it. I grew up in a place where all we had were chat piles (debris left over from mining) and holes in the ground, and all they did was simply leave (the companies). So the town is constantly having to repair roads/etc. and fill in spots where the old mines have collapsed. And this is over roughly 150 years later.