The draft permit is complicated and vague at the same time, with the Office of the State Engineer not weighing in. It appears that the mine's operation is heavily dependent on "dewatering" or digging below groundwater level to get the water they need--without an OSE water right.
No reasons, no evidence, not even a public discussion. By fiat the Governing Board has decided Copper Flat Mine is favored by the people and will be good for the local economy.
Locals, at least historically, don't insist on being informed and made part of capital projects. They elect officials and then "have faith" in them and "trust" them. Historically our elected officials abdicate their oversight duties. Historically city managers, for ill or good, decide our built environment.
We only know the day of the meeting at which local elected officials and staff will present their top five capital projects and request that our state legislators fund them from their collective $1.5 million or so. As usual, the public is not welcome, despite the obvious public interest.
This article begins a fund drive for the Citizen. Please either click the donation links on this site or send a check to SCP-IJP, P.O. Box 156, Hillsboro, NM 88042. In exchange I offer some food for thought about how Our President is looking out for us common folks.
We finally got some media coverage of the Hearing that took place two weeks ago in Hillsboro. The Las Cruces New Mexican ran two articles on the mine, one covering the Hearing and the other giving a timeline of the mine. I link to both articles.
I had a Cassandra moment. It thought the city might be planning to extend water out to the airport and dig a new well out there. That would be a massive burden on the people who are already paying for years of neglect of the water system in compounding repairs.
An insider's view of how elections are conducted at polling places by a poll worker for many years suggests nepotism and lack of training for election officers are a problem.
Trump may want more emphasis on paper-ballot voting and counting, but States still control voting. Despite our voting system vendor selling out to a Republican, it looks like nothing much will change, at least not in the upcoming election.
We asked tough questions of Whitehead and she answered promptly. That should make voters feel more secure about the election.
Copper Flat Mine needs so much water to operate that it will have long term impacts on the water use in this county for decades to come. It also needs a huge amount of electricity. How will that consumption affect the rest of us electricity users?
How many times have you experienced extremely low water pressure, yet the city issued no boil-water order? This time City Manager Gary Whitehead was responsible and truthful and issued one.