Happy anniversary Colowyo and Trapper mines!
It’s been a year since WildEarth Guardians tried to put you out of business but you’re still going strong, providing jobs, and keeping the lights on.
The Craig Daily Press is remembering the not so momentous experience in an article this week, praising U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton and Sen. Cory Gardner for all their help in pressuring the Interior Department to review and approve operations in the face of extremist opposition from environmentalists.
Unfortunately, the WildEarthers aren’t cutting their loses, and are now focused on killing another coal lease at the Bowie No. 2 Mine in Paonia.
The Daily Sentinel reports that a federal agency appeals board has ruled against operations that were approved by the BLM. Feds are arguing whether the manager of the Uncompahgre field office had the authority to approve operations in their district.
At least that’s the excuse the feds in Washington are giving. WildEarthers brought the appeal because they want impacts to exporting coal after its mined included in environmental studies.
And because of the appeals board decision, the greenies are demanding the entire approve process be rewritten.
We get that environmental studies should be done to determine the actual impact of the actual mining operations. But it’s a ridiculous stretch and a bizarre waste of taxpayer dollars to insist that studies include what happens after the coal has left the site.
We’d like to demand an economic impact study of exporting the WildEarth Guardians to another location, like say, China.
Sending them to China sounds like a fine idea.
The brag was made several years ago that the North Fork Valley was going to be made into a utopia, that all mining and farming was going to be driven out. Unfortunately, those who made the brag are making good on their promise unless people kick them out of the valley.