Last month, residents of Crested Butte faced a setback in their ongoing battle to preserve the recreational and aesthetic quality of life in the mountains. The U.S. Supreme Court threw out a case seeking to return 155 acres of land on Mt. Emmons purchased in 2004 by the Phelps Dodge Corporation. The land was obtained under the Mining Act of 1872 that allowed the Bureau of Land Management to make the prime mountain area available for merely $5 an acre, totaling $875 in all. Members of the High Country Citizens Alliance have been fighting the sale of the land since 2004, and they are slowly losing ground in their fight.
In this day and age, acquiring 155 acres of land near a ski area, for $875, should be considered a crime of major proportions. This outdated law serves as a way for fat cat corporations to exploit resources with nearly no repercussions. Companies don’t even have to pay taxes on the ore they have mined. Although Congress has put a freeze on new mining patent applications, older companies are still grandfathered in, allowing them to take advantage of low prices and tax breaks. Despite the fact that this outrageous legislation still exists today, this is hardly the problem that people in Crested Butte face. What the face is desecration of a beautiful place.
Anyone driving on Freemont Pass near Leadville can’t help but notice the devastation caused by the Climax molybdenum mine. The barren scene is one of wasteful destruction, with mountains appearing inside out, and the beautiful landscape of the Continental Divide scarred by piles of mine tailings and oddly green settling ponds. If Phelps Dodge develops the Luck Jack molybdenum mine in Crested Butte, that is what the spectacular valley might look like in years hence. The mine would be perched above Crested Butte.
This town thrives on the beauty of the area around it. People come from around the world to ski at the resort and enjoy plenty of winter activities. During the summer, Crested Butte is touted as the wildflower capital of Colorado, hosting the Wildflower Festival, Fat Tire Bike Week and many other events and festivals. This is a community that would greatly suffer from the development of yet another mine in the area.
I say yet another mine because the Standard Mine, located in the mountains above the town, has just recently, within the last couple of years, been deemed an EPA Superfund site, requiring cleanup. Many worry that tailings from this mine have spilled, or soon will spill into tributaries of Coal Creek, the main source of water for Crested Butte. The Standard Mine is a blemish in the hills and has proven to be a threat to life for local residents.
To keep this from happening and to maintain the aesthetic qualities of this beautiful mountain town, Crested Butte needs support now. With a large, united front, the battle against shoddy laws and national conglomerates can be fought and won. Interested parties should voice their concerns to the High Country Citizens Alliance at 970-349-7104.
