The next mining boom
As a long-time HCN subscriber (going back to the tabloid format in the 1980s), I'd like to thank Maya L. Kapoor for her excellent reporting in general, and for “The next mining boom” (March 2021), in particular. I was not aware of this mining proposal, but I have some personal connections to the Thacker Pass area, going back 21 years.
As a trained mining engineer who later switched fields to become a hydrogeologist, I appreciate the technical aspects and water issues in particular. But I’m also a bird conservationist, who has worked as a volunteer surveyor in the habitat that will be impacted. As a born-and-raised farmer, I appreciate the concerns expressed by the rancher in your story. And I’m deeply respectful of the perspective of the Fort McDermitt Paiute Shoshone Tribe.
Joel Geier
Corvallis, Oregon
