CORN WAGES CHEMICAL WARFARE

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You can blame this fiasco on the mining law that Congress passed in 1872-the same law that coaxed starry-eyed gold diggers to stampede California, dynamite in hand. The law basically says anyone can mine anywhere, anytime, for anything, and never mind the mess. So mining companies are buying up hundreds of acres of National Forest land.

And don't think private land is exempt. Mining companies make offers that many can't refuse. They'll pay Mr. Jones for permission to search his land. So you'll never know when Mr. Jones' tomato patch will be blown to bits. And this could depreciate your property's value.

Take for instance the small town of Chesaw, Washington, where Battlemountain Gold is all set to blast nearby Buckhorn Mountain. We're talking about a 100-acre open pit and 500 acres of dumped waste rock and tailings, soggy with aresenic. Locals are scared silly. Not to mention the fact that mines endanger bears, wolves, and lynx by poisoning their drinking water.

Knowing full-well that they pose these threats, mining companies sweet-talk opposition with the promise of new jobs.

Over-zealous community residents often catch building-fever, in anticipation of the mines bringing in new business. "People start building with visions of a huge windfall," says Jim Goettler, member of the Washington Commision for Responsible Mining.

Problem is, once all of the gold's gone, the companies then clear out, taking all the hands-on mining jobs and revenue with them. All they leave behind are a bunch of tacky mini-malls. Of course, these companies don't contribute one red cent towards the communities landfills, schools, or fire departments.

All these negative side effects have rural residents down in the mouth-but they are not powerless, Goettler says. You can gather together, do some foot stomping, and attack the 1872 Mining Act. Then badger Congress to amend mining legislation at the state level. After ripping up your land and dousing it with cyanide, the very least miners can do is clean up their mess.

Editor's note: If you have interesting, timely, or even peculiar news items you'd like to share with Mother readers, please send it to "Bits e'r Pieces," Mother Earth News, P.O. Box 129, Arden, NC 28794.

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