Alternative One

"Montana is a place that has to be seen to be believed, and it may have to be believed in order to be seen."--Kiowa poet N. Scott Momaday 

 In Montana, everything seems somehow larger, grander, than life, and over the centuries has been the repository of the dreams of an astonishing variety of people.  On the long, dusty roads of Montana these dreams have crisscrossed and collided, transforming all who traveled along them, rewarding some while disappointing others.

The story of the Montana was once told as an unbroken series of triumphs -- the victory of "civilization" over "barbarism," a relentlessly inspirational epic in which greed and cruelty were often glossed over as enterprise and courage.

The vivid images of 19^th Century mining camps, boomtowns, rugged loggers and sun baked ranchers driving enormous herds of cattle across vast plains remain deeply etched in American folklore.

As we entered the third quarter of the 20^th Century, Montanans were confronted with a very different reality.  Runoff from thousands of abandoned hardrock mines was destroying our pristine lakes and streams.  Reckless logging had devastated millions of acres of forest.  The “promises” of cheaper labor and nonexistent environmental protections lured American timber and mining companies overseas.

In Western Montana, years of natural resource abuse, economic  globalization and America’s renewed commitment to environmental protection have brought us to yet another transformational moment in history.  If anything positive could possibly result from the corporate abuses of W. R. Grace and the resulting tragedy, it would be to serve as a catalyst for change.

In order to overcome the ongoing threats to our air, water, wildlife and health and the regression of Western Montana’s economy, we need to develop and implement creative, new, 21^st century strategies.  We  must reject the destructive practices and thinking of the past.  We simply have to clean up our environment, improve our schools to prepare our children for tomorrow’s opportunities and create new, relevant good-paying jobs that do not depend on destroying what’s left of our natural resources.

ALTERNATIVE ONE:  The Best Choice For Northwest Montana

 Step One in Moving Northwest Montana Forward:  Saying NO To The Montanore Mine and Power Line Project

“The immensity of Man’s power to destroy imposes a responsibility to preserve”

            --Congressman John Lacey, (R) Iowa, Sponsor of the Antiquities Act, 1906

Alternative One advocates strong and decisive steps to improve the quality of life and build a stronger, healthier future.  The most important commitment we can make to move Western Montana forward is to reject those proposals which drag us back to the destructive ways of the past. Saying no to the Mines Management, Inc. plan to build and operate the Montanore Mine is the critical first step. 

MMI’s propaganda machine bombards us with promises of hundreds of jobs at an environmentally friendly, state of the art mining facility neatly and quietly going about its business in a tiny corner of the remote forest.  The company cheaply and effectively buys goodwill by making well-publicized token (and tax deductable) donations to local events. 

MMI’s strong arm tactics have enabled them to take over the Libby Area Chamber of Commerce.  This is absurd, considering the fact that according to the company’s most recent annual report, they employ a grand total of eight (8) people.  Many restaurants, gas stations, hair salons and pawn shops contribute more to the local economy and most even pay taxes.  Since MMI conveniently avoids tax liabilities by claiming huge paper losses while running their profitable enterprises through offshore shell companies, they should at best command second tier status in a local business organizations.

MMI’s well-oiled public relations machine churns out an endless stream of bold and false updates which erroneously lead the public and potential investors to believe that Montanore will be fully permitted within a few months.

Alternative One has and continues to investigate and scrutinize the mining and power line proposals as well as MMI’s management team and major investors.  The so-called environmentally sensitive mining operation is, in fact, designed for maximum extraction of metals at the lowest possible cost. It relies on cheap, unimaginative technology. 

The Montanore Mine proposal represents the worst and most irresponsible kind of mining, and we believe that the consequences far outweigh the true benefits it offers. We oppose the plan and firmly believe that its rejection will strongly benefit Northwest Montana.

The company’s proclaimed commitment to environmentally friendly mining would gain significant credibility if MMI had elected to process the ore in an offsite facility on private property outside of the Kootenai National Forest.   Of course, this option would increase the production costs to more realistic levels—something that the company’s leadership and maximum-profits-at-all-costs-investors deem unacceptable.  Instead, they are proposing to trash thousands of acres of pristine forest.  The power line routes were developed over twenty years ago, and don’t even touch upon the most sensible (but more costly) option of running the lines underground.  On this website we have described in more detail the specifics of this environmental nightmare.

Although they call themselves Mines Management, Inc., the management team of this Spokane-based company does not manage a single mine anywhere in the world.  The resume of CEO Glenn Dobbs, a man 70 years of age and rumored to be in poor health, shows zero experience in this area.  A hedge fund manager who specializes in siphoning sorely needed American capital to unproductive, dubious offshore companies, Mr. Dobbs has no apparent experience in creating jobs for American workers.

Other members of the management team and major investors have direct links to some of the world’s worst mining projects, where devastating pollution, slavery and brutality are the norm. One Nevada mine to which MMI has at least one connection attempted to engage in a financial transaction with China which was halted by the President of the United States because it threatened our national security.

Depending on the day of the week and on which side MMI’s VP of Investor Relations Doug Dobbs decides to part his hair, the company is pledging to create anywhere between 250 and 800 jobs in Lincoln County.  If the project were to get the green light, would these jobs go to local residents?  Your guess is as good as ours.  Not only has the company refused to commit to hiring local workers, they clearly state in their annual report that they believe the quality of the Lincoln County workforce to be insufficient and fully expect to import workers from other areas.

What MMI seems to do best is create and market illusions, including the heretofore unchallenged premise that the company’s finances are rock solid.  As we stated earlier, the company’s real expertise involves extracting money from American investors and essentially laundering it in countries with lax reporting and financial restrictions. 

The fact is, MMI’s big investors shift their priorities at the drop of a hat when a better speculative offer comes calling.  So what will happen if metals prices follow their historical pattern and nosedive?  Chances are pretty good Montana will have its 4,976^th abandoned mine site to clean up. 

Let’s be clear—Alternative One recognizes the obvious need for mining and does not embrace unrealistic expectations that mineral extraction can be accomplished without environmental consequences.  However, the Montanore Mine proposal represents the worst and most irresponsible kind of mining, and we believe that the consequences far outweigh the true benefits it offers.  We oppose the plan and firmly believe that its rejection will strongly benefit Northwest Montana.

Step Two in Moving Northwest Montana Forward:   Holding  our public officials accountable for their actions and decisions.

 The economic, health-related, environmental and ethical challenges we are facing demand creative and honest leadership.  We cannot solve our problems by endlessly beating up on environmentalists, grizzly bears, judges, and federal agencies. 

As we struggle to heal from the effects of environmental degradation, economic hardship and W. R. Grace’s criminal actions, it seems like every week we are hit with some new and disturbing revelation.   EPA recently revealed alarming levels of mining-related asbestos pollution have destroyed Rainy Creek.  A well-paid economic development official contaminated our parks and yards by peddling toxic bark from his failing and obviously mismanaged county business park.  Libby’s mayor and members of city council supported the writing off thousands of dollars in water bill delinquencies from that same business park.

 When the world learned the sad and sordid details of how Grace and mining almost killed Libby, well-intentioned individuals, organizations and public officials made serious commitments to the community.  Tens of millions of economic development dollars flowed into the empty coffers of the city and county.

Rewriting the Future cont.

Today, you need to look awfully hard to find much public benefit from all of that money.  While Northwestern Montana struggles, our elected officials are shelling out millions of dollars to a private golf course (which now cannot or will not pay back this so-called “loan”), improvements to the Kootenai Business Park (which somehow never seem to happen) and recounting the number of grizzly bears in the forest.

Their “Economic Development Program” consists of attacking DEQ, Forest Service and EPA officials for “dragging their feet” in the Montanore Mine approval process.  There is a reason why the permitting process is nowhere near completion:  Mines Management’s plan fails to meet even the minimum standards set forth under federal and state law.    

It is obvious that many of our public officials—elected and unelected—lack the integrity, imagination, vision and experience to address the serious challenges which face Northwestern Montana.  This needs to change.  Alternative One advocates strong citizen involvement in the decision-making process.  We call on our members to make their voices heard.  Show up and speak out at public meetings, write letters, make phone calls, ask the tough questions, and talk to your friends and neighbors and encourage them to do the same. 

Step Three in Moving Northwest Montana Forward:   Building a Strong Future By Protecting and Promoting our Real Assets

In a compelling analysis of the decline of the timber industry in Montana, wildlife biologist, botanist, writer and photographer George Wuerther says the following:

“What Montana National Forests do best is grow bull trout, westslope cutthroat trout, grizzly bears, elk, bighorn sheep, and other wildlife that are increasingly jeopardized and degraded by logging operations. Furthermore, these forests possess some of the best scenery and remaining wildlands left in the United States.  Why are we compromising those nationally significant resources to produce something—namely trees—that can be grown elsewhere at less environmental and economic cost? You grow a ten inch tree and cut it on flat terrain operating year round in Georgia or Texas, but you can’t grow bull trout there. You can’t grow grizzlies there. You won’t find outstanding mountain scenery and internationally significant wetlands there.”

Logging and mining aren’t the only activities causing the alarming deterioration of Montana’s beauty and natural resources.  If you travel to many Montana towns and cities, you might think you are in California, Illinois, even New Jersey.  Strip malls, traffic jams, ugly and poorly planned housing developments scar far too much of that which makes Montana special.  

Rewriting the Future cont.

When Alternative One advocates change for Northwestern Montana, this is not what we have in mind.  The majority of our region retains its breathtaking natural beauty.  Many of us live here and want our children to have the opportunities to stay because few areas in the United States have what we have.

If a company specializing in the development and manufacturing of renewable energy components or some other growth industry wants to relocate its facility, why not set up shop in our area?  We have so much to offer.  We need the jobs and the infusion of revenue, we offer relatively inexpensive land and housing, and access to a major rail corridor.  If Flathead Valley Community College in Lincoln County can do safety training for miners, why not develop a program to train or retrain local workers for a 21^st Century industry?

Instead of pouring millions of taxpayer dollars down the 18^th Hole at Cabinet View Golf Course, why not create a retreat or conference center with top-notch lodging facilities to attract small or medium-sized meetings or conventions?

Would these types of projects lead to another pocket of mini-urban sprawl?  Not if we don’t want it to.  Not if we commit to and develop a responsible plan and stick to it.

We live in the middle of rare natural beauty.  Let’s keep it that way.  With the right vision, leadership and community participation, we can move Western Montana forward without destroying those things what makes it special.

Step Four in Moving Northwest Montana Forward:   Join Us

If you are not yet an Alternative One member, take a few minutes and join our organization.  Membership is free.  We do need financial support to spread our message, build our organization and to help move good ideas from the drawing board to the public and our elected and unelected public official, so we are asking you to donate to Alternative One if you can.

We understand that many of the issues we raise here are provocative.  Some of the information on this website is not widely reported.  This does not make it less factual.  We will be working with the mainstream media to educate and motivate them to provide their readers and listeners with the facts about critical issues, and the opinions and programs we advocate.

In the next few weeks the permitting process for the Montanore Mine will enter another critical phase.  Despite Mines Management’s ongoing declarations to the contrary, DEQ and Forest Service approval of their plan is far from assured.  Alternative One will play a key role in leading the fight to stop this backward-looking and damaging concept from moving forward.

Please check our website every week.  We will be providing more specific and better developed narratives.