Document 5DnLNp7QDK0qm3K68EdEjMnND

/ OL-JiA^ j2,g.C-/AjT~ /J'3^ 5 o /C tVcM^C 2 T~ /? y* fh'j - s flyoZr&Csi- J Vfp-I*'sr/ c rd.'tr ! i jt" Tuesday, May 5,1987 Great Falls Tribune 5A ----------- ---................. - - tmy aln- - THamilton wary of nearby mine .By JUDIBLAZE For the Tribune HAMILTON -- A proposal to reo pen a vermiculite mine near Hamil ton brings with it-the promise of jobs and the fear that the pristine Bitter- ; root Valley south of Missoula may become a polluted dumping ground for the mine's wastes and Jhe asbes tos released from processing the ore. The Stansbury Mining Company -'rof .Alpine, Utah, wants to mine * - vermiculite ore at the base of Skal~ 'kaho Mountain about 15 miles from * '^Hamilton. The mine, which was closed in 1979 and sold to Stansbury in 1985, * covers 1,750 acres. *' ' Lisa Bay, who is doing the socio economic study for the company, . says total long-term employment from die project will include^ to 100 new jobs, 95 percent of winch will be hired locally. The payroll,* about $1.4 million a year, would be spent in the area, and "existing-employers will get a bit bu sier," She concluded. - Despite the possibility of jobs for the unemployed in the economically depressed valley, some residents are concerned about the environmental and health impacts of the project. They point to the 45-year-old vermiculite mine in Libby, where polluted air and asbestos have become prob lems, and say they don't want the same conditions near their.homes. . The mine itself worries area resi dents less than the proposal to house an exfoliation plant in Hamilton. The company is seeking to have the exfoliation plant built within the city limits of Hamilton, so that it will be eligible for $6.8 million in indus trial revenue bonds to finance the construction. According to company plans, after the rock is bulldozed out of the mine, it will go through a separation process to extract the vermiculite. The graded ore win then be trans ported by truck to the exfoliation plant, where it will be processed and made into potting soil, insulation and fire retardant materials. Mark Welch of Western Resources, the company that will direct the mining project, says the process is much like a "hot air popcorn pop per." He said the vermiculite, when heated, expands to 15 times its size. It is also absorbent and, when it isn't full of water, it's full of air, which makes it-valuable in potting soil-, in sulation and other products. One of the byproducts of process ing vermiculite, however, is the re lease of asbestos, a substance that is said to pose health risks. Victor Borcherds, chief executive officer of Stansbury, said traces of asbestos have been found in the Hamilton vermiculite, but he said die levels are below those determined to be dangerous. . "Wedon't believe it's going to be a problem," Borcherds said. He said the company will be using -only "state-of-the-art equipment" and the latest air quality technology. Borcherds, a citizen of South Africa whose specialty is to help reorganize companies that go bank rupt, said other mines, such as the one in Libby, have produced some health hazards, but he said they were operating under old laws and that current standards are stricter. "In my view, this facility will meet all the requirements," he said. But some residents, including Marjory Bergh, a retired school teacher from Hamilton, don't agree. "I don't think it's fair that they don't have any consideration for the retired people," Bergh says. She also expressed concern for the children of the valley. Over half the residents of Hamil ton, a community of 3,000, with an other 5,000 to 6,000 living in the outly ing area, are retired. Doris Milner, another local resi dent, said she is opposed to the operation because it not only threatens the health of residents, but also the area's wildlife. She said she would rather see the valley pre served as a clean, healthy area. Similar concerns were expressed by other residents at a recent public hearing. But Hamilton Mayor Jim See MINE, IA 10002947 . K