EDITORIAL PAGE — The best of a bad situation

It is disheartening that the New World gold-copper project has been permanently sidelined by an agreement that will see the mine’s owner, Crown Butte Resources, swap the Montana project for federal lands valued at US$67 million.

We recognize that Crown Butte (and its parent companies) profess to be happy with the proposed deal, which would provide the company with assets greater in value than the US$37 million thus far spent to develop the property. And perhaps it is the best outcome that could be expected, considering that the mine’s opponents include none other than U.S.

Vice-president Al Gore.

In the end, though, New World will be mourned as yet another mineral project sacrificed to appease fears about what might happen if a terrible earthquake were to cause a tailings spill. It is the same argument environmental groups used to scuttle plans to build the Windy Craggy copper mine in northwestern British Columbia, now part of a provincial park and a United Nations World Heritage Site. These groups were ably assisted in their efforts by Gore, a self-professed environmentalist who obviously has the ear of the President.

Even so, we must acknowledge that the public has been spooked by two recent, major accidents at tailings dams operated by North American mining companies working in foreign countries — not to mention the Summitville mine fiasco in Colorado, which is still costing taxpayers plenty to clean up. Regaining public confidence in light of these problems will be no easy task. Still, with redoubled efforts, we believe it can be done.

In all fairness, too, we have to admit that the New World solution, largely arrived at through the negotiating efforts of U.S. President Bill Clinton, was handled far more skillfully than the Windy Craggy debacle of June 1993.

Compensation was never in doubt, an agreement-in-principle was in hand before the announcement was made, and the mining companies involved appear happy with the outcome.

In contrast, the British Columbia government expropriated the Windy Craggy deposit without consultation or notice. It made vague promises about compensation and disparaging comments about the value of the project but showed that it was in no hurry to work out a fair settlement with the mine’s owners and others affected by the decision. The government handled the situation so badly that, despite its recent attempts to mend matters by helping the mine’s owners with other project development, the legacy of Windy Craggy is bound to remain bitter.

What is sad about both the New World and Windy Craggy decisions is that they do not take into account the hard work carried out by many experts to make each project a technological and environmental showcase.

During our visit to New World in 1991, we were impressed by the dedication and care shown by Crown Butte’s team of mining professionals towards every aspect of environmental management.

The property had been mined several times in the past, and the company made every effort to clean up the mistakes of those who came before it, as well as to prevent any mistakes in the future. This team deserves recognition for the excellent work it carried out on site, notwithstanding the fact that its efforts have, in effect, come to naught.

We believe New World could have been operated safely and responsibly. And we also share the mine owner’s contention that the pressure brought on the project by its opponents undermined the environmental impact statement process.