Today, in an open letter in the Washington Post, Tiffany & Co. called for protection of wilderness threatened by a silver mine, as well as reform of U.S. mining law regulating the industry that supplies it with gold, silver and platinum for its jewelry.
Tiffany states that "opponents fears are justified" regarding the Rock Creek mine in a pristine Wilderness Area in Montana, a perfect example of why the 1872 Mining Law needs updating.
This is the first time that a major jewelry company has taken a highly visible stance on U.S. law regulating mining.
In his letter, Michael Kowalski, the Chairman and CEO of Tiffany & Co., called for the preservation of the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness Area and identified the 1872 Mining Law as encouraging mining in inappropriate areas. If constructed, the Rock Creek mine would tunnel under the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness Area, upstream from Idaho's Lake Pend Oreille. Some 60 Idaho panhandle businesses, as well as county commissioners and city council members, oppose the Rock Creek Mine.
Under the 1872 Mining Law, the Forest Service claimed they had to allow the mine to tunnel underneath a Wilderness Area, potentially harming endangered grizzly bears and polluting precious water resources. The Rock Creek Mine would discharge up to three million gallons of waste water a day into the Clark Fork River.
The Rock Creek Mine, though currently approved for operation by the Forest Service, still faces legal challenges by community groups and conservation organizations.
To view the Washington Post ad, or more information about and photos of the proposed Rock Creek mine, visit the website of EARTHWORKS (formerly Mineral Policy Center), a nonprofit dedicated to protecting communities and the environment from the destructive impacts of mineral development.
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