Citizens share concerns over mine plans

he Cheyenne office of the Department of Air Quality (DEQ) Air Quality Division held a public hearing Tuesday night.

The goal was to listen to citizen concerns regarding the impact on ambient air quality of construction and operation of the Keyhole State Project, a 317-acre bentonite mine that has been permitted a couple miles southeast of Pine Haven.

Before any comments, division administrator Nancy Vier asked if any representative from Black Hills Bentonite LLC, the company who plans to open the Keyhole State Project, was in attendance and would like to make a statement; none was present.

Of the guests who spoke, each articulated their argument and explained their research into the subject, asking pertinent questions.

Mark Stengle brought a map showing how area residents and waterways will be affected adversely by the dust agitated by mine operations and wind.

"Sometimes the wind is from the south. Well, when you have gusts from your overburden piles, from hauling bentonite on the road, strong predominant wind from the south is going to blow that right into Mule Creek Bay in Keyhole Reservoir..." he said.

"Their mine plan says they're not going to hurt any vegetation or anything else. I say it's going to be impossible, over the course of 20 years, to keep all of the dust and all of the bentonite in their trucks."

Stengle had also researched the effects of bentonite in powder form, which may be considered a toxin on lungs, eyes, etc.

William Greathouse read a letter from Powder River Basin Resource Council, which with Stengle's related revelations of questionable allowances by the DEQ regarding the permitting of this potential mine site without properly completed applications and other actions was brought to the agency's attention and into the public record.

Greathouse also opined, "The land permit was southeast of Pine Haven and put into the Moorcroft paper, the air permit was put in the Sundance paper and [the DEQ hearing ad] stated it was nine miles northeast of Moorcroft. That tells me that somebody's trying to get away with something... I see that as being pretty sketchy."

Paul Langevin spoke to the impact that this mine's dust clouds will have on the nearest neighbor, who will live within the first 400 feet of peripheral operations.

"This will be a disaster for him...It will be dust every day," he said. "My question for you is, would any one of you want to live 400 feet away from that mine?"

All evidentiary materials were given to the agency to be filed as part of the public record. Administrator Nancy Vier explained the final decision on the mine application would only be made after department head Todd Parfett reviewed said records.

Though a couple of questions were respectfully voiced, Vier explained that neither she nor the other three agency representatives would respond at this assembly, saying, "We are here to gather information from the public."

People must attend such answers and the transcript of the meeting on the DEQ Air Quality website at a later date.