Mining for Approval Near Mount St. Helens

A long-awaited decision from the Bureau of Land Management regarding a proposed mineral prospecting project near Mount St. Helens may soon be coming down the pipeline. That update was delivered by a representative of Ascot Resources, the mining company seeking to probe the Gifford Pinchot National Forest for precious metals, during an annual report to the Board of Lewis County Commissioners on Monday afternoon.

That BLM decision has been pending for eight months since the U.S. Forest Service signed off on a finding of no significant impact for an Ascot Resources’ proposal to conduct core sampling for minerals near the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument in northwest Skamania County. Approval of the plan would clear the way for the mining company to drill 63 prospecting holes measuring about three inches across on 23 different sites.

“The Forest Service released their decision in August and I’m honestly shocked that we haven’t heard from the Bureau of Land Management yet,” said Mike McDonald of Ascot Resources. “They’ve really been doing their due diligence and going over this proposal with a fine tooth comb.”

During his report to Lewis County Commissioners Edna Fund and Gary Stamper on Monday, McDonald said he is confident that a decision will be handed down soon and that it will be in favor of the Ascot proposal. He went so far as to predict it would be released in advance of Memorial Day.

“I’m 99 percent sure we’re going to be seeing a finding of no significant impact. Typically the forest service and the Bureau of Land Management work really, really closely on this sort of review,” noted McDonald. “It’s my experience that many times they will release these decisions right before a long weekend. It’s my thought that they do that because they don’t really want everyone to hear about it.”

McDonald explained that the current proposal for core sampling is needed in order to learn more about the size, density and makeup of the mineral deposits located within the roughly 900-acre claim. He explained that the information gleaned from the core samples will help the Canadian mining company to determine the best extraction method for the job.

If, like the U.S.F.S., the BLM comes back with a finding of no significant impact there would then be at least a one-month public comment period. From that point, Ascot Resources would have to apply for drilling permits and put out a 30-day work notice for the project. McDonald estimated that if the BLM decision comes back in their favor before the end of May, then core sampling operations could begin in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest as early as July.

McDonald said that when Ascot Resources previously conducted core sampling on the claim in 2010 operations took place between July and October before the snow started to stick.

“The biggest thing we learned (in 2010) is that the deposit goes more than 1,500 feet deep. That was really, really exciting to us,” said McDonald.

He explained that it is imperative for Ascot Resources to determine the makeup of the mineral deposit before playing their hand about their future plans. He noted that a company who previously held a claim in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest was turned down in their permit request because they sought a mining permit before conducting adequate groundwork.

“Finding the end of (the deposit) is kind of important before you put yourself out there,” said McDonald, who noted that a core sampling permit would be good for two years, with an option for two additional years.

In the past, McDonald has refused to go on record with what sort of extraction methods might be in play if sufficient deposits of gold, silver, copper or molybdenum are found beneath the parameters of their claim. On Monday though, McDonald was more candid.

“Potentially it is a mining project,” said McDonald, who noted that the methods for mineral extraction under consideration “are all derivatives of shaft mining.”

McDonald said that much maligned mountaintop removal mining is primarily used for coal extraction in other regions and it is not cost-effective for minerals found deep underground like those in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. He also noted that, “Realistically, open pit mining just doesn’t fly in Washington state.”

McDonald stated that during the previous core sampling operations, the USFS complimented Ascot Resources for the cleanliness of their work and noted that noise complaints have not been an issue. He said the operating volume of a core sampling project is about 85 decibels, which he compared to a running diesel engine.

“Pretty much the only real complaint that we heard from them was that the runoff from one of our drills was pooling up in the road,” said McDonald.

Opponents of the prospective mining operation have noted the proximity of the site to the Green River, which is preserved as a wild steelhead gene bank and off limits to anglers in order to keep it pristine. McDonald was adamant that those concerns are unfounded for the core sampling work and claimed that tests have shown the charcoal filtered water coming out of the drills has proven to be cleaner than the water going in. He added that the core sampling project was previously allotted a daily limit of 2,000 gallons of water but never used more than 200 gallons in a given day.

“To be honest, I would understand that being a major concern during our next step during the mining permitting process,” said McDonald, who added that the process for obtaining a “mining lease is going to be another big hoop to jump through.”

McDonald estimated that peak operations at the mining site would likely require between 20 and 30 workers on any given day and noted that the work would be seasonal in nature.

“Access is through Lewis County and this is where (we) would like to keep the primary employment at,” said McDonald.

Both Fund and Stamper expressed optimism about the potential economic impacts of the project.

“I think the best case scenario is that BLM says go for it and that the folks on the other side of this issue will realize that this is not like copper mining in Nevada that destroyed the environment,” said Fund. “I’m just hoping that people will get a reality check on what this is all about. We need to know that this is the truth, this is not an emotional issue.”

Stamper said he is hopeful that the mineral prospecting could lead to “responsible employment” opportunities in East Lewis County where a decline in the timber industry has decimated the job market in recent decades.

“It’s a little different world now. The logging days of the 80s, 70s, and 60s are gone so you’ve got a new generation that looks at the national forest, and how best to use it, in a different way,” said Stamper. “Nobody wants to see the national forest harmed or the water destroyed. I don’t want to see some project that’s going to endanger places that we need to make sure are protected.”

Stamper said he’s heard roughly equal amounts of support and concern for the proposed project from constituents in East Lewis County.

“I think there’s some misconception around, especially when you talk with people who have worked up in that country. They don’t want to see it harmed either,” said Stamper. “I think that they too will have some questions so when it gets to that point, when we have meetings, that those questions will be addressed.”

Fund added that because Ascot Resources will need to utilize Lewis County roads in order to access their claim, the company will likely be on the hook for road upgrades and repairs through road-use fees.

“When you look at it on the map you know it’s really in Skamania County but the way to get there is through Lewis County on some really rough roads. I think there would probably be some need to fix up those roads so that they could be used, and in that case I believe Ascot would be right there with us,” said Fund.

McDonald noted that mining and timber operations have long been conducted in the area so they will not be disturbing virgin ground during their work.

“The Mt. St. Helens eruption interrupted all of those operations up there at that time,” said McDonald, who claimed that the area was intentionally left out of the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument parameters in order to leave those prospect claims active. “We’re really just (reclaiming) the roads for use.”

McDonald said that Ascot Resources has grown to appreciate dissenting opinions provided by the public because it drives the company to hone in their proposal.

“I understand the tactic of our opposition. Making it take longer makes it more expensive which makes these types of projects less profitable, but we see a lot of value there and we’ve decided to stick with it,” explained McDonald. “The unfortunate thing is that we don’t get to choose where these minerals are located. It’s Ascott’s job to locate them, evaluate them, and see if you squeeze the lemon, will there be enough juice?”