[CELP'S FISH LOGO GRAPHIC]
CENTER FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL
LAW & POLICY
(CELP)

http://www.main.net/celp

MISSION STATEMENT
The Center for Environmental Law & Policy is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to the preservation and restoration of Washington's freshwater resources -- including streams, rivers, lakes, and aquifers -- through a focus on instream flow and water quality. The Center advocates for reform of the laws, policies, and practices that govern allocation and management of state waters. Through litigation, education, policy research, and monitoring, the Center serves as a voice for the public interest in the water resources of Washington state.

LATEST PRESS RELEASE
(Become a member to regularly receive our quarterly newsletter)
Alchemy for the 90s: Creating Water from Gold

In Lacey, Washington, on Monday, May 11, the first of two court cases which potentially pit Washington state's public trust doctrine against the federal Mining Law of 1872 begins.

At issue are water rights granted by the Department of Ecology for the Crown Jewel open-pit cyanide-leach gold mine project, which would be Washington's first large-scale mine of this type and the largest ever proposed for the state. The hole left in Buckhorn Mountain would leave a permanent pit lake polluted by heavy metals, 100 acres of cyanide-laced tailings above Marias Creek, and disrupted groundwater and instream flow in two basins.

At the hearing before the Pollution Control Hearings Board, attorneys for the Washington Environmental Council, Okanogan Highlands Alliance, Center for Environmental Law & Policy, and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation will address the inequities in the Department of Ecology's denial of nine smaller water rights in the Myers and Toroda basins. The case tests the infallibility of the Mining Law of 1872, the aging 500-pound-gorilla of private claims on public land.

Approximately 109 million tons of mountain will be displaced to extract flakes of gold that, packed together, would make a chunk about the size of a refrigerator. Gold in this low concentration can only be claimed by stirring finely ground ore-bearing gravel in vats with a solution of cyanide and water. After the extraction of the gold, the tailings are left on a liner indefinitely. Notes Dave Kliegman of the Okanogan Highlands Alliance, "According to the EPA, all liners leak. Period."

Nearly 85% of the gold in that refrigerator-sized chunk will be made into new gold jewelry. Because old gold is easily recyclable, the Center for Environmental Law & Policy and the Okanogan Highlands Alliance invite their membership and the public to contribute to the "Give Us Yer Gold" campaign. Says CELP outreach coordinator, Jan Naragon, "The 'Give Us Yer Gold' campaign helps consumers consider where gold comes from and what related resources may be at risk forever." CELP and OHA will accept unwanted or unused jewelry for recycling as tax-deductible donations.

For more information on this project or for gold donations, contact:
Jan Naragon
Center for Environmental Law & Policy
1165 Eastlake Ave. E., #400
Seattle, WA 98109
phone 223-8454, fax 223-8464
E-MAIL
CELP NEWS, (CLICK TO SEE)

RECOMMENDED READING:

  1. Let The Mountains Talk, Let the Rivers Run
    David Brower

  2. Kayaking the Full Moon
    Steve Chapple

  3. A River Never Sleeps
    Roderick Haig-Brown

  4. Northwest Passage, The Great Columbia River
    William Dietrich

  5. A River Lost, Life and Death on the Columbia
    Blaine Harden

  6. Water
    Alice Outwater

  7. The Columbia, Sustaining a Modern Resource
    Tim Palmer

  8. River of Life, Channel of Death, Fish and Dams on the Lower Snake
    Keith C. Petersen

  9. Last Oasis
    Sandra Postel

  10. Cadillac Desert, The American West and Its Disappearing Water
    Marc Reisner

  11. Overtapped Oasis
    Marc Reisner & Bruce Babbitt

  12. Beyond the Hundredth Meridian
    Wallace Stegner

LINKS TO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS OF INTEREST
  1. Recreational River User Issues This site exchanges and distributes information on Northwest rivers and streams. The fisheries and recreational elements of stream and river use are emphasized.

  2. Propossed Endangered Species Listing for Puget Sound and Olympic Penninsula Chinook Salmon Major changes in our treatment of our environment are being developed. Suggestions from everyone will be welcomed. This site provides general information and current developments, and encourages comunication and understanding among the diverse interests with a stake in Chinook Salmon.

CALL FOR NEW MEMBERS AND VOLUNTEERS!
CELP is working hard to keep up with the flood of legislative proposals affecting our rivers and streams. Your help as a member or volunteer would be welcome, and a positive contribution to our environment.

Contact Jan in Dept. M:

  • by phone: (206) 223-8454
  • by FAX: (206) 223-8464
  • by mail: 1165 Eastlake Ave. East, Suite 400, Seattle, WA 98019
  • by e-mail: Jan, Dept. M

Please include your name, mailing address and day and evening telephone numbers. We will welcome you!

More information will be added soon.

Last update: May 5, 1998

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