The Environmental Agencies' Silence is Deafening

Amazing silence from the Environmental Agencies (federal, state, local) about what ASARCO had to have contaminated us with --- from what the EPA told the Federal DOJ Asarco did here in the 1990's (illegal secret burning of toxic wastes for profit, for years).

To add insult to injury, apparently the NM Sec. of the Environment is the new EPA regional administrator --- is that the reward these days for keeping one's mouth shut? Neither he or the NM Governor have answered the evidence or questions in the letter from the Sunland Park Grassroots Environmental group. That letter was hand delivered twice, over two years, directly to the Governor.

Meanwhile the BLM land within the shadow of the Asarco stacks was given to the state of NM (without declaring the toxic wastes that have to be there from Asarco) so that UP Railroad can then buy them "at auction" and construct the modal rail center for its Sunset Line --- within a few miles of the infamous Camino Real Dump (i.e. "landfill") that has accepted maquiladora wastes for years, and right by the Foxconn & Verde Group Santa Teresa San Jeronimo International City. Somehow none of these business entities have managed to help the landowners at Loma Del Poleo from the concrete-concentration-camp fencing and machine-gun armed "guards" right by this Santa Teresa development (the landowners hold deeds from 30 years ago -- which the government and prior landowners -- Zaragoza, Lugo, etc. won't recognize now).

The previous Lomas del Poleo attorney was killed. Environmentalists, activists, are dying like flies in Juarez & Mexico, hidden in the violence and called "collateral damage": one ejected from a car, another strangled, another shot six times, another shot. Here in the USA key people are being dragged through the courts or losing employment/income at the most inopportune times.

NM  hired a DHS Secretary --- he recently had retired in 2008 from a 30 year C.I.A. career -- with five years of that in Mexico.

This is the border... what a recent NAFTA conference called "the most competitive spot in North and South America". What those same speakers refer to as "San Diego to Brownsville". They are developing the first international-city model here that could then be propagated through the entire San Diego to Brownsville region.

This is the border --- where for years the NYC mafia railed New York City sludge down 90 miles from El Paso to the tiny town of Sierra Blanca TX with the blessings of many including the TNRCC (the old TCEQ), many University (sludge-funded) "studies", New York State, the railroad --- until NY State Prosecutors were able to put the owners into federal prison for 10 years (2001 to around 2010). The sludges were too toxic to dump anywhere in the entire state of New York.

Now a company that started a few years ago wants to mine a mountain next to the tiny town of Sierra blanca for rare earth minerals.  These are combined with an extremely toxic form of beryllium; and, with thorium.  Beneath it all lies a huge deposit of uranium.  This mine is close to an interstate highway and a similar railroad.  Current plans call for leaching out the rare earth minerals over a liner with acids; and, who knows, they may add in materials brought in from other sites.  The Banker in charge is from New Jersey.  In my opinion the whole thing stinks.  IMHO with that kind of contamination you can't possibly run a profit unless you either ignore the radioactive waste dump created, or you use the dump to get rid of toxic waste --- something that has happened in our region  BIG TIME with Asarco so who is to say it is not possible it could happen again?  As the US DOJ said, the money was good.

You cannot eat, drink, or breathe money...

“Only when the last tree had died And the last river had been poisoned And the last fish has been caught Will we realize we cannot eat money.” ~ Cree proverb