A mine does not run through it, for now

By Mary Katherine Ray

When last we visited the Beryllium deposit near Monticello Box and the historic Warm Springs, Be Resouces Inc., the mining company looking to extract that Beryllium, had been granted permission to drill 12 more of 20 exploratory bore holes for which they had asked. Every new bore hole creates a risk to the groundwater and spring flows in this special place where, no matter how intense the drought, there is always precious water. The Mining and Minerals Division had refused permission for the remaining holes, including one that would have been thousands of feet deep, over concerns that they posed “significant” environmental impact that would warrant more public involvement and scrutiny.

But BeR, Inc., emboldened by the new administration, immediately turned around and reapplied for the holes that had been denied. This time, the definition of “significant” environmental impact was re-evaluated by the agency, and sadly, permission has now been granted for these new holes.

But all is not lost. Despite this turn of events, work has ceased at the site because BeR Inc. is apparently out of money. The company is not required to reveal to anyone what it found in the holes it did complete but it could be telling that even though the original exploratory holes were quite spread apart, the additional bore holes were in close proximity to each other, possibly indicating that the deposit is more localized than previously thought. This could mean it is smaller and not as promising.

It is possible that the corporation could raise the money to resume the operation, but it might now be harder to convince stockholders that there is anything worthwhile to fund.
And while our efforts did not sway the agency to deny these permits, which would have been proper, we can be proud that we did force BeR Inc. to hire a consultant and many experts to propagandize for support and that this had spectacularly poor results toward influencing public opinion. Having to spend that money did help propel the corporation down the hole of insolvency.

For now, the beautiful Monticello Box, the Springs, the wildlife and the water are safe.