Mining Ban Near Park Uncertain

Despite President Clinton’s claim at the Democratic National Convention that he had “saved Yellowstone from mining,” an agreement to block a proposed gold mine on the park’s border is not a done deal.

Paul Pritchard, president of 450,000-member National Parks and Conservation Association, believes the agreement between the U.S. government and Crown Butte Mines Inc. has only a 50-50 chance of success.

He said the states involved and their congressional delegations were not part of the deal and have made no commitment, and congressional approval ultimately will be needed for the deal to be consummated.

The agreement gives Crown Butte the option of backing out of the deal in February if it is not satisfied with federal lands offered in a swap for the mine site in Montana, just outside the park.

Clinton announced the deal to stop the gold mine on Aug. 12 during a visit to Yellowstone. It calls for swapping federal land worth $65 million for the mine site.

But a federal search team was not organized until 17 days after the announcement to consider what lands might be offered in trade, said Mat Millenbach, deputy director of the Bureau of Land Management.

“We just got started…and we don’t want to give up half the state of Montana,” said Millenbach, adding that $65 million would buy 650,000 acres of Western grazing land at $100 an acre.

The Denver Post said sources involved in the land swap negotiations said surplus federal property being considered for the swap includes an office building in Washington, D.C.; undeveloped land near Las Vegas; federal coal lands and other mineral resources in the West; abandoned military bases around the nation; and some forest lands.

The Post reported that a member of the White House staff who requested anonymity acknowledged that Crown Butte could back out of the agreement in February, but said the company also has the option of giving the federal government six more months to come up with an acceptable parcel.

The Post said Crown Butte officials were not available for comment.