LETTER TO THE EDITOR — U.S. activism being exported to Canada

The obstruction of the Crown Jewel project in Washington state, sadly, marks a culmination of the American environmental movement gone berserk, a movement that enjoys the support of the current presidential administration.

The project is not situated in some hallowed, pristine wilderness, but rather in very ordinary terrain of the Okanagon Highlands. There are no major streams draining these low mountains and there are numerous old workings, including open pits. As well, the area has been burned by forest fires, and some areas have been clearcut. It’s the kind of place where mining people would say, “If you can’t make a mine here, you can’t do it anywhere.” Unfortunately one would surmise that if a mining development can be stopped here by those who simply don’t like mines, then the future of mining in the U.S. is in jeopardy.

At this time, it is difficult to be optimistic that any significant change is going to come about in the U.S. anytime soon. Even if Battle Mountain Gold eventually prevails in its long struggle, the company has already spent US$80 million there. The company has not even undertaken real development or mill construction. Also, compliance with all of the convoluted regulations and requirements forced upon the company might be impossible.

One of the sacred tenets of American democracy has been government of, by and for the people. When it comes to resource development, this could be better stated as: of and by the butterfly lovers for the butterflies.

Canadians should take note of how this came about, because an environmental coalition led by Defenders of Wildlife is instituting legal action that raises the threat of U.S. trade sanctions against Canada unless it passes a national endangered-species law. The group’s claim to back this action, that Canada has no regulations protecting wildlife, is, of course, totally false, but these people are used to dealing in falsehoods.

To make a long, gloomy story short, the U.S. has come to its present environmental state over a period of 30 years. What started as reasonable demands for environmental controls evolved into a movement to stop almost all natural resource development. Natural resource industries fought back, but financial resources in such cyclical industries are minuscule compared with the sources from which environmental organizations are able to draw.

Beware, Canada.

M.A. Kaufman

Spokane, Wash.