Mine will only make the pollution worse

The worst possible threat from protecting water quality in northern Idaho is Revett's proposed copper mine. They plan to dump 3 million gallons of toxic mine waste into the Clark Fork River daily. They planned tunnels under the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness Area plus the toxic goop holding pond will pollute the Clark Fork below with even more toxic mine waste. Doesn't the Clark Fork drain into the jewel of the Panhandle? Over 140 years, Montana's mining efforts, especially the Butte and Anaconda mines, dumped their worst of the worst toxic mine waste directly into the Clark Fork. Their abuse turned the river into one of the five worst ever. The outdated 1872 Mining Law wants more from the Clark Fork. Being one of the top worst polluted rivers in the United States has ever had folks make, it now wants to make it even worse. To heck with water quality concerns. I guess Revett would pay well. Why haven't people with hearts and moral good sense stopped the plans to harm the Clark Fork? Silence means "Go ahead, make the bad even worse."

L.J. LaBELLE

Noxon, Mont.