The Lawrence County Planning and Zoning Commission thinks Valentine Mining Company's plan to dig for gold just over the rim of scenic Spearfish Canyon should go forward. Last week the commission unanimously recommended approval of the Deadwood Standard Project... assuming Valentine Mining meets nearly three dozen conditions.
Among those conditions is dust control:
Deadwood Standard Project/VMC, LLC shall adhere to a dust suppression program to control dust on the roads of Deadwood Standard Project/VMC, LLC mining operation, the Deadwood Standard Project/VMC, LLC access road, and all haul roads within the permit area. Deadwood Standard Project/VMC, LLC shall utilize dust suppression methods approved by the DENR, which program shall provide for appropriate mitigation measures to legitimate complaints related to dust suppression. If complaints arise regarding dust and further investigation is merited, appropriate mitigation measures may be established by the County. Deadwood Standard Project/VMC, LLC shall increase its dust suppression activities on affected roads and increase air quality surveillance to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations [draft, Proposed Conditions for Conditional Use Permit #411, Lawrence County Planning and Zoning Commission, 2012.07.05].
The conditions also include a condition (#28 on the current draft online) subordinating the county's restrictions to state and federal regulations... which makes me wonder: if Congress had ever passed Rep. Kristi Noem's pixie-dust crusade against non-existent EPA rules, would she have prevented the Lawrence County Commission from protecting the natural beauty of Spearfish Canyon from heavy in-dust-rial activity?
The Lawrence County Commission meets Monday, July 23, at 1 p.m. at Deadwood City Hall to consider the conditional use permit for the Deadwood Standard Project.
#28 is pretty common language as a CYA; if the state or federal government has a law or regulation which contravenes the county, the county cedes to that higher authority.
I thought Kristi's Anti-Dust bill just prohibited the EPA from regulating dust? Just because a federal agency is barred from regulating an activity doesn't necessarily mean a lower form of government is forbidden.
Water will be critical to dust control up there, a commodity still owned in large quantities by Barrick, the Canadian earth raper: Sen. Adelstein might even own shares.
Water will be critical to the whole operation.
Our water. The blasting and shaking of the limestone which holds our pcecious water will open wide for their contamination, all for another quick buck. The county already has nothg to base their 1.33 canyon property tax multiplier on, the ice gets thinner kids.
US House greases mining interests:
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/statewide/archive/2012/07/bill-diluting-mining-rules-passes-us-house.shtml