Racicot Criticizes Mine Deal Secrecy Montana Governor Says State Shouldn’t Be Kept In The Dark

The White House is refusing to release details of an agreement to stop a gold mine on the border of Yellowstone National Park unless the state agrees to keep the information secret, Montana’s governor says.

Gov. Marc Racicot said the federal government has refused to provide the state a draft of an agreement that is one part of the deal, outlining how old mine wastes would be cleaned up near the site.

Federal officials have said the state can only receive the information if secrecy is promised. Racicot said such a promise would violate state policy. He said there is no legal reason to keep the public in the dark.

“What in God’s name should anyone fear by involving the people who own Yellowstone National Park and this government?” he said in an interview published Thursday.

“You have all the parties agreeing to a cleanup action and the only points of discussion are how it is going to be cleaned up, the costs involved and responsibilities of the responsible parties,” Racicot said.

“There are no disagreements there to compromise the interests of Montana, and it appears to me we would be well advised to involve Montanans from the very beginning.”

The document is part of a broader deal announced with fanfare by President Clinton on Aug. 12 in a Yellowstone meadow near the mine site.

It calls for Crown Butte Mines Inc. to drop its mining plans three miles northeast of the park in exchange for $65 million worth of public land or assets elsewhere.

The cleanup agreement portion of the deal would settle a 1993 federal court lawsuit against Crown Butte for water-quality violations.

Brian Johnson, spokesman for the White House Council on Environmental Quality, defended secrecy as routine in settlement negotiations. He said the public will have ample opportunity to comment after the deal is struck.

“The parties negotiate, file with the court and seek public comment,” Johnson said. “That’s what they’ll be doing here.”

Doug Honnold of the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, one of those involved in the negotiations, also said discussions were too sensitive for public disclosure.

“The negotiations are in an awkward position now,” he said. “The federal government and Crown Butte and anyone in the negotiations are going to be doing some horsetrading.”