Please join MEIC, Montana Audubon, and Pat Barnes Missouri River Trout Unlimited Chapter #55 at the Lewis and Clark Public Library on May 1st, 6:00-9:00 PM for a live projection of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Smith River Mine public “webinar” meeting!
As if your passion for the Smith River isn’t enough to bring you down, Blackfoot River Brewing has generously offered a “free beer token” for each attendee to use any time!
PLEASE REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR IN ADVANCE at the DEQ’s website: http://deq.mt.gov/Land/hardrock/Tintina-EIS. That way, they will be better able to anticipate commenters and organize the schedule for the evening. There is limited time, so if you do not register in advance, THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THERE WILL BE TIME AVAILABLE FOR LAST-MINUTE REGISTRANTS!
Background:
We are in the middle of a public comment period granted by the DEQ, by law, so that the public has an opportunity to review and provide critique on the Smith River Mine draft environmental impact statement (DEIS).
The DEQ has scheduled five public meetings: April 24th in Great Falls, April 29th in Livingston, and April 30th in White Sulphur Springs. “Webinar” meetings are scheduled for May 1st and May 2nd for those that can’t make the public meetings in-person.
We will broadcast the public webinar live from a projector and give you the opportunity to stand up and comment on-screen. In an adjacent room, you’ll have the opportunity to sit down with us, ask questions, and write comments to the DEQ—together!
There are a number of deeply concerning and flawed aspects of this DEIS. First, it is troubling that DEQ has only allowed the public 60 days for review of a technical document containing over 800 pages. An adequate comment period is essential to guarantee that the public can adequately review the document and comment on it.
Second, Sheep Creek is the Smith River’s most important trout spawning tributary, and the DEIS does not sufficiently account for the potential for dewatering, pollutants moving from groundwater to surface water, and wetland disturbances. The health of Smith River habitat deserves a proper accounting of and planning for the worst-case-scenario.
Finally, Sandfire’s plans to keep waste and toxic materials in place for generations is experimental. The DEIS provides no good evidence that it will work. The Smith River is a resource cherished by people across the state and beyond, generating close to $10 million annually in economic activity—it should not be the guinea pig for such experimentation. DEQ should deny the permit to allow Sandfire to begin mining.
For more information on the process and on this meeting, visit http://meic.org/events/smith-river-mine-helena-webinar-meeting/, and to find the draft EIS, visit http://deq.mt.gov/Land/hardrock/Tintina-EIS