VIRGINIA CITY, Nev. February 21, 2013 — The Comstock Residents Association is pleased that today's BLM determination, re: Comstock Mining Inc. (CMI)'s restricted right-of-way to haul ore over public lands, could mean the end of the heavy industrial traffic that has endangered the health and safety of visitors and residents alike since last summer. But this action tempers CRA's pleasure with the knowledge that the move does not put an end to the negative impact of open pit 'strip' mining in our Virginia City National Historic Landmark (VCNHL).
Continuing to allow CMI to despoil our historic landforms and cultural landscapes without filing even a basic 'Mining Plan of Operation' is reprehensible. It continues to baffle area residents that CMI is allowed to dodge this responsibility. It is apparent to the CRA that the company could not stand the scrutiny of a thorough evaluation of impacts that endanger natural springs and waterways crucial to wildlife, the environment and human habitation.
The CRA remains convinced that more concerns will come to light through the Environmental Assessment process now going forward.
We will continue to fight for an even more robust process. CMI should be required to participate in a full programmatic Environmental Impact Study that should include input from the National Park Service, the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), The Nevada Department of Environmental Protection (NDEP) and the Environmental protection Agency (EPA). Too much is at stake. The ramifications of this open pit mining operation must be known before it is too late.
The Comstock Residents Association is a community focused public interest group representing the residents of Virginia City, Gold Hill, Silver City and Dayton, with a common interest in preserving the integrity and sustainability of the Virginia City National Historic Landmark and the quality of life in the Comstock communities it embraces.
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