Did 2 Nevada gold mines underreport mercury?
Dee Lewis on Nov 22nd 2007
Did 2 Nevada gold mines underreport mercury?
It’s potential source emissions affecting Utah, group says
By Martin Griffith
Associated Press
Published: November 18, 2007
RENO, Nev. — Environmentalists are accusing two northern Nevada gold mines, including one owned by Utah’s Kennecott Mining Co., of underreporting mercury emissions to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Nevada-based Great Basin Mine Watch, the Idaho Conservation League and Earthworks threatened legal action against the Florida Canyon Mining Co.’s operation near Imlay and Kennecott’s Denton-Rawhide Mine near Fallon. Mercury is a common byproduct of gold mining and processing, and winds carry the Nevada emissions to Utah and Idaho. Nevada mining activities represent a very large potential source of mercury emissions that affect Utah, according to the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.
Contrary to recent data reported to the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection, the mines reported little or no mercury emissions over the last eight years to the federal EPA, said John Hadder, staff scientist with Great Basin Mine Watch.
In 2006, the Florida Canyon mine sent 440 pounds of mercury into the air and the Rawhide mine reported 350 pounds of emissions, according to the NDEP.
“We now know that hundreds of pounds of mercury are needlessly going into our air from mines that have minimal controls in place,” Hadder said. “This new information is a wake-up call. We want the state and industry to agree to get controls in place right away.” Continue Reading »
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