"Putting gold back into “Gold Country” seems favorably nostalgic, but has unforeseen far-reaching repercussions. Is the town prepared to expand? More importantly, does Grass Valley want to?"
Excerpts from a Union opinion piece by David Briceno, Grass Valley
April 15, 2023
In this article David discusses the following possibly detrimental consequences if the Rise Gold mine project gets the official go-ahead from the Nevada County Board of Supervisors:
Possible exposure to hazardous-to-health heavy metals that can pose serious medical risks.
Water supplies will be affected.
Operations can even adversely affect local wildlife over the mine’s roughly 175-acre surface area.
The bulk of the mining work would extend throughout unseen labyrinths. The company will own all mineral rights: no gold for townsfolk.
Noise pollution and minute toxic dust particles due to increased traffic from trucks hauling out chunks of worthless rock waste to dump.
If Rise fails, who pays cleanup for all contamination?
Mining is ranked among one of the most dangerous professions: Freak accidents occur with risks of injury, disabilities and fatalities.
Rise touts the project will generate “hundreds of jobs”. However there’s no guarantee locals will be mostly hired, which raises the question of where’s everybody going to live. Commute? The region routinely experiences housing shortages.
Immediate neighborhood property values could plummet.
A large growth in population may result in housing prices, cost of living, and property taxes increasing and quality of life decreasing.
Read the rest of the article online at The Union.