Critics pan proposal to open gold mine

BOISE — Residents and environmentalists are concerned that a proposed open-pit gold mine near the historic mining town of Atlanta could impact their lives in the remote region.

The Canada-based Atlanta Gold Co. is considering an open pit mine that will dig 600 feet into the mountain and will use a cyanide leaching operation to draw gold out of the ore. Atlanta is about 70 miles northeast of Boise.

“They are going to take the top off the mountain, crush up the rock and replace it with a pit of cyanide soaked waste rock, which is not two miles from my house,” Atlanta homemaker Liz Merrill said Thursday.

“We are expecting the environmental impact statement for the Atlanta Gold mine to come out this winter and we are asking for everyone who values the Boise river to read and comment on the proposal,” said John Robison with the Idaho Conservation League.

He fears that the cyanide could pollute the Boise River.

But the Idaho Mining Association claims Atlanta has historically been a mining area and industry practices have changed with the times.

“Unfortunately the extreme environmental groups have been unwilling to compromise in areas that will allow us to continue to do what we do for a living but we do believe there ought to be reform,” Idaho Mining Association Executive Vice President Jack said.

“Atlanta Gold appreciates the concerns voiced over the development of our mine project located in the Middle Boise Mining district, which has over a century of mining history,” Atlanta project manager Doug Glaspey said.

He said the project will undergo government and public scrutiny under the National Environmental Policy Act but has not yet been permitted.

The mine will incorporate state-of-the-art design to safeguard the environment, he said.

The Atlanta Gold Co. is a subsidiary of the Canadian Twin Mine Co. Company documents suggest the costs associated with each ounce of gold will peak around $166. With gold prices hovering around $418 an ounce, the projected profits from an open-pit gold mine operation seem lucrative.