| Stillwater Good Neighbor Agreement |
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Resource context: Mining Regulatory/Administrative context: CWA; Montana Metal Mine Reclamation Act; U.S. Forest Service mining regulations Objective: The legally binding agreement sets measurable goals and establishes a means for citizens to participate in oversight and decisions about Stillwater Mining Company (SMC) operations that could impact the local communities, economy and environment. To minimize future litigation, the agreement provides for open lines of communication between local citizen groups and the mine for resolving disputes. Participants: Stillwater Protective Association, Cottonwood Resource Council, The Northern Plains Resource Council, Stillwater Mining Company. Framework: Good Neighbor Agreement History: A bucolic, sparsely populated landscape stretches across south-central Montana, where the Boulder and Stillwater Rivers rush from high mountain ranges to meander through rolling ranchlands. It's where the Stillwater Mining Company bores into the northern flank of the Beartooth Mountains for palladium, a metal used in automobile catalytic converters.
The Stillwater Protective Association (SPA), a group of local ranchers and conservationists, filed suit against Montana's environmental regulatory agency after it issued a permit allowing expanded mining operations. In the neighboring county, SPA's sister group, the Cottonwood Resource Council (CRC), geared up to challenge a proposed discharge permit for the East Boulder River at SMC's other mine site. Both organizations are affiliates of Northern Plains Resource Council, a statewide family agriculture and conservation group. Through Northern Plains, CRC and SPA brought media and public pressure to bear on the company, urging to come to the table and "be a good neighbor." These actions set in motion nearly a year of bumpy negotiations between the mine and three conservation groups that wanted the mine to operate under greener standards. All sides were able to hammer out a legally binding agreement that was signed in the spring of 2000. Accomplishments: The Stillwater Good Neighbor Agreement is unique in that it's the only one of its kind between a local community and a hardrock mine. The agreement outlines a framework for involving the local communities in monitoring the mine's impacts. In addition, it outlines a number of specific goals. So far, about two-thirds of these goals have been completed, including baseline water studies and stricter water pollution limits for both the Stillwater and East Boulder rivers; independent environmental audits of both mine sites; a mitigation plan for a tailings site known as the Hertzler Ranch; establishment of conservation easements on mine-owned ranch properties to prohibit future industrial and subdivision development; and a mine worker busing program to reduce traffic. Challenges/Constraints: Since the Good Neighbor Agreement was signed, the price of palladium has plummeted, slowing expansion plans and leaving the company in a financial bind. Mine management was restructured and key players in creating and negotiating the agreement no longer work for the mine. In an effort to cut costs, the mine announced it would stop the mine worker busing program, and several months of contentious negotiations followed. The busing program was trimmed, but not eliminated. A Russian company, Norilsk Nickel, has acquired a majority stake in the stock of the company. At the time of the acquisition, mine officials said that the Russian company's purchase would bring financial stability and wouldn't disrupt the principles outlined in the Good Neighbor Agreement. The Northern Plains Resource Council has adopted a wait-and-see stance, concerned that Russian environmental and labor standards have historically been considerably less rigorous than U.S. standards. Norilsk officials nonetheless say they're committed to the Good Neighbor Agreement and will honor all of its provisions. For mor information see: Billings Gazette Story Northern Plains Resource Council Stillwater Mining
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 02 April 2008 ) | |||||
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