Russ Steele
Recently Citizens Looking At Impact of Mining - Grass Valley, or CLAIM-GV, published this picture of what the Idaho Maryland Mine would look like on the skyline of Grass Valley. A very emotionally disturbing picture for sure, with the huge smoke stacks sending plumes of gasses into Grass Valley's clean air. But, is it based on reality?The Idaho Maryland Mine Manager sent this rendering to a local blogger who has been critical of the mine. Note the missing stacks.
Which one is propaganda? The top one? The bottom one? Both? Keep reading.
UPDATE #1: Steve Enos wrote in a comment below:
Oh Russ, the CLAIM-GV photo represtation is based on Emgold's own information and data found in the DEIR. Mr. Joe Heckel, the Director of Community Development for Grass Valley has reviewed the CALIM-GV photo represtation and says it is accurate!!!
Joe Heckel call this morning and assured me that he never made the statement attributed to him by Steve. He said it was a engineering issue and before making any statement like the one above he would have consulted an engineer. He has not asked for an engineering assessment of the CLAIM-GV graphic
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Here is a picture of the Stone Peak high tech porcelain plant in Crossville, Tennessee, which uses closed cycle processes that do not require huge stacks to emit industrial gases.
How which do you think was the propaganda rendering? Which is designed to create uncertainty over the IMM project?
At the 2009 Milken Institute Conference on the State of the State, there was a panel discussion on Keeping Companies and High-Paying Jobs in California. One of the Panel members was Eric McAfee, Chairman, McAfee Capital. Based on his extensive experience in developing high-tech businesses McAfee laid out four critical components for creating new businesses in the State:
1) The right labor force must be available.
2) Business costs must be competitive.
3) There must certainty in how regulations and standards are applied.
4) There must market opportunities for the product.
The MMI project can meet 1, 2, and 4 with relative ease. However 3 is a bigger challenge, especially with the CLAIM-GV web site publishing misleading information with a high emotional content like the first photo above.
IMM is willing to comply with environmental regulations and standards, but they must be applied with some certainty. It is common practice for environmental organizations to use propaganda and public meetings packed with like minded people to spread misinformation, eventually resort to the courts when they do not get their emotional satisfaction.
All this NIMBY activity increases the level of uncertainty for business wishing to relocate, form or expand in Nevada County. Opening of the Idaho Maryland Mine is a clear example. The mine owners are participating in the environmental planning process, but at every turn their studies are declared inadequate by environmental groups.
Should the environmental documents be approved, and permits issued, local groups have sworn to file a lawsuit should the government approve the environmental reviews and issue operating permits. It is no wonder that IMM investors have withdrawn their interest - excessive uncertainty. These same tactic can be used on any business wishing to form, expand, relocate to Nevada County.
With Nevada County sales tax declining, over 24% in the 2nd Quarter, and multiple business poised to close their doors, how much more of this propaganda can we take. There is no way to ship IMM job off shore. There are billions of dollars of gold under Grass Valley, that cannot be shipped to China to be mined. Are we going to let our unemployment rate climb and our young families struggle to feed their children, while we have the capacity to revitalize at least a portion of our local economy. Really?
