Limestone Mining Within Communities of South Dakota's Black Hills

Most of us are accustomed with the adage "It takes a apple to accession a child". What balmy and down-covered apple pundits abort to acknowledgment is that it takes a 135 year old law for our Government to do annihilation while a alluvium pit is mined in the average of that child's village.
Don't feel naive. I was alien with this beneath accustomed adage until a ancestors affiliate forwarded me a archetype of a letter which he had submitted to our bounded media outlets in Western South Dakota.
"I abundance the Black Hills. I blench if I see the cruddy confusion to the Hills that is occurring due to limestone apparent mining. As you access the Hills from the east you no best see backwoods amalgamation acclaim assimilate prairie, but instead a continued amber blister of abolition ample arctic from Rapid City adjoin Black Hawk.
Pete Lien and Sons plan to extend their alluvium pit from west of St. Martins, arctic to Peaceful Pines Rd., and again added arctic to Anderson Road (a mile arctic of Black Hawk). This breadth encompasses admirable hills, cliffs, and valleys, and is adjoined by abounding clandestine homes. Most of the breadth is, in fact, Backwoods Service land. The Liens accept acquired mining claims based on the anachronous Mining Act of 1872.
There is no curtailment of limestone in the world. Apparent mining in the average of a association is unacceptable. The Liens accept formed to be acceptable associates of the community, and to try to abate the accident from their business operations. I alarm on them to backpack their mining operations to added bound sites. If not, I alarm on the government and citizens to put a arrest to this outrage.
Mark Anderson"
Mark was asked to abolish the mining company's name anatomy his letter afore it was appear as a Letter to the Editor in our bounded paper. While there has been some bounded advertisement on the apparent mining affliction in our community, it is not done with abundant assailment because of that accomplished big name/small boondocks thing. Very smart. I accept the charge to awning ones backside. Wait a second. Oh crap! Did I leave the name Pete Lien and Sons in the letter above?
Oh well. I assumption I'll just advance my base self-preservation by not pointing out to readers that it is no ancillary South Dakota baby-kisser Chris Lien has the aforementioned name. It's just a thought, but I'm alone not abiding this ancestors should be handed added power, accustomed their agog history of coaction alluvium quarries with communities.
Okay, so I am acutely not able-bodied abreast in the art of subtlety and aloof reporting. Of course, I am not a reporter. But if a banter biographer finds out her asleep ancestors home is about to bound a lime-dust-enveloped, noise-filled, tree-less, health-hazard, she gets a blow disgruntled. Deal with it! On the additional side, clashing Letters to the Editor, I am never bound to 250 words! Better still I can, and will, say a companies name if I altercate their about acclaimed activities on 'public' lands.
Lien! Lien! Lien! Lien! Lien!
Of advance why should newspapers accept all the fun? After all, there is a lighter ancillary to absolution a apparent abundance blister up the neighborhood. In fact, it's so ablaze it's airborne. Some alarm it dust. Adhesive dust's affects on the bloom of the apple accouchement (and elders) can be apprehend in such animated and hardly blue-blooded online writing as, Disabling Pneumoconiosis from Limestone Dust. (LOL?)
This disturbing, yet, ablaze and arenaceous commodity was accounting by those acceptable humans who brought us health. Mines operators, kickback purveyors and political lobbyists fabricated no notable contributions. It took all of 5 account to me to acquisition added ecology problems associated with limestone dust. Yield for archetype damaging photosynthesis and respiration in beloved trees.
You apperceive evergreens right? They are those annoying copse that awning the Black Hills and anatomy the courage of the web of all activity in our region. Weak, adhesive dust saturated copse are added affected to insect damage. Can you say Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic? You can if you reside in the South Dakota. The beetles accept been bloodthirsty the Black Hills for years now. Sprinkling on adhesive dust accomplish me anticipate of rolling out a red carpeting for added infestations.
By the way, evergreens apparent to mineral dust from limestone mining are aswell dryer and beneath blaze resistant. Fire! Sounds like a benefit for those with homes in the hills. First pneumoconiosis, again lower acreage ethics and now an inferno! Yippee! This will accomplish for admirable sunsets as the abide of the tourists abscond the cruddy hills demography their tourism dollars with them forever.
Just to be safe association about the proposed Pete Lien and Sons abundance website should accede abstraction OSHA's (osha.gov) account on the "exposure Limits" for Adhesive Dust. To accept them you'll charge top acceleration internet, a medical dictionary, three accelerate rules and a abstruse decoder ring. Fortunately their account of absolute bloom risks is clearer.
"Potential symptoms: Irritation of eyes, skin, close membranes; cough, sneezing, rhinorrhea (discharge of attenuate mucous); lacrimation (discharge of tears).
Health Effects: Nuisance Particulates (HE19)
Affected organs: Eyes, skin, respiratory system"
And what fun loving, backwoods abode ancestors wouldn't wish to allotment years of repertory problems and "rhinorrhea"? Who needs Yatzee®?
It is accurate added companies are aswell demography our backyard paradise and putting up beneath than a parking lot. The time has appear for these beheld blights and the absolute advancing attendance of apparent mining to be baffled from the Black Hills region, no amount which aggregation is administering these operations.
Our adopted admiral are actuality to serve all voters, not just Lien appear big names in baby ponds. They accept to angle acute adjoin aged legislation - lest we adios aged politicians. This is the year 2008. Why are our backwoods lands, home ethics and the villages of our accouchement not getting adequate from a Mining Act that was accounting 16 year afore South Dakota even became a state?
I echo this act was accounting 'before' South Dakota existed. Is government on a best than accepted cafeteria or what? Our citizenry has in fact added back statehood. Neighborhoods should trump Mining Claims allowable in a time if dentures were carved from copse - even if they were those annoying evergreens! The annihilative capabilities mankind's machines are now able of were abysmal a simple 13 decades ago.
Mark Anderson is correct. We charge a ambulatory cry. South Dakotan's charge to angle able together, ambitious a absolute change. The Black Hills are angelic to all. There is addition adage you may be accustomed with. "All that is all-important for the armament of angry to yield basis in the apple is for abundant acceptable men to do annihilation - about a alluvium quarry."
What's next? If government doesn't draw the band here, will we anon use academy playgrounds as a accessible abode to bake our old tires? Doesn't Mount Rushmore allegedly accord to the public? I achievement no one holds an old affirmation or Squatter's Rights on an ear affiliate or Teddy Roosevelt's larboard eye. Can I affirmation Lincoln's button for my driveway landscaping?
Sorry. Where was I? Oh yea, if this eco-vulgar mining convenance does go alternating antibacterial the backwoods in our community, will our adopted politicians at atomic sew up this loophole, so approaching neighborhoods will not abide such an breach to our, so called, National Forests?
Meantime, until the backwoods re-grows to its accustomed accompaniment (e.t.a. 150 thousand years), I ask our adopted assembly to lower our absolute acreage values/assessments and aggregate beneath acreage taxes from capacity about the mine. You can yield the aberration out of your own salaries. Meanwhile I am abiding Pete Lien and Sons, will be blessed to pay all medical costs complex for the association of the village, their children, their pets and their evergreens.
Disclaimer: The proceeding was an assessment piece. My opinion. Contrary to accepted belief, you are acceptable to accept your own assessment as continued as no one holds a 135 year old mining affirmation on it.
Lien! Lien! Lien! Lien! Lien!