Background

In 1992, a spill at the Summittville mine in Colorado leaked cyanide into the Alamosa River, killing all aquatic life within 17 miles. The Alamosa River and its tributaries flow from the Summittville mine through wetlands, a forest, agricultural land, and into the Terrace Reservoir, which supplies irrigation water to livestock and nearby potato, alfalfa, and barley farms. Today the area is a 1,400-acre Superfund site.

In January 2000, a massive cyanide spill from a Romanian gold mine contaminated more than 250 miles of the Danube River and its tributaries, resulting in a massive fish and wildlife kill. The drinking water supply for as many as two million people was affected by the accident, and experts believe it will take years for the ecosystem to recover.

The possibility of a similar cyanide-related mining accident happening at the Crandon mine spurred Representative Spencer Black to propose a bill to ban cyanide use in Wisconsin mines. “Because of the dangers of cyanide, and the disasters seen across the world, I have introduced a bill in the legislature to ban the use of cyanide in mining operations in Wisconsin. My bill would prevent a disaster such as the recent disaster in Romania and others that have been seen across the country.” Black and Senator Russell Decker introduced AB 91 to the Wisconsin legislature in April 2001. The bill passed the Senate by votes of 19-14 in November 2001 and was sent to the Assembly Environment Committee. It was reintroduced in February 2003 and deferred to the Committee of Natural Resources.

In October 2003, two Native tribes, the Forest County Potawatomi and the Mole Lake Band of the Sokaogon Chippewa, purchased the 5,000-acre Crandon mine, and withdrew the mining permit applications. The sale ended a two-decade long battle between rich corporate interests and a coalition of Wisconsin citizens that included Indian tribes, sportsmen, environmentalists, and local governments. The environmental victory prevented the dumping or accidental spilling of millions of tons of cyanide-laced mining waste into the headwaters of the Wolf River.

Although the Crandon mine is no longer a threat, the anti-Crandon mine campaign brought the dangers of cyanide use into the public eye. More than 16,000 Wisconsin citizens have signed a petition for a cyanide ban in mining. More than three dozen county or local governments have passed resolutions for a cyanide ban. A poll has shown 58% statewide support for banning cyanide in all Wisconsin mines.

Montana, however, is the only state in the U.S. to have actually passed a law banning the use of cyanide in mining. Since its passage in 1998, I-137 has withstood numerous challenges in the Montana court system as well as the legislature. In December 2002, a state district judge ruled that I-137 did not violate any constitutional rights of Canyon Resources, a mining company seeking to use cyanide in its gold mines. The district judge also ruled that the company should not be compensated for the loss of its project. Canyon Resources has appealed the decision to the Montana Supreme Court.

The Czech Republic has banned the use of cyanide in mining, and both Turkey and Greece have made significant court rulings against issuing permits to mining interests whose projects propose the use of cyanide. The Mining Amendment (Cyanide Leaching) Bill 2000, which would prohibit ore processing by cyanide leaching in gold mining, was entered into the Parliament in New South Wales, Australia, in June 2000, but has not been enacted.