I have read with interest the variuos comments regarding the impact of the Cripple Creek gold mine with the Cripple Creek and Victor narrow guage line, and I am a bit taken aback about some of the thoughts expressed by some of us.
As a comment of full disclosure, I used to work for the company that developed the current mine, so I could justifiably be considered biased by some.
We celebrate the narrow gauge lines of the western US with vigor on this board and others, and we honor them with our interest, but perhaps we have overlooked the very fact that many of the lines that we revere existed to serve the very enterprise that we are now criticizing in this instance. At the same time we need to recognize that essentially all of the property that is impacted by the mine is privately owned, rather than part of the Public Domain, and the company does have the rights to mine through their ownership and lease-hold interests.They have gone through a very rigorous permitting process, with ample opportunity for public input, and they are under considerable regulation by State and federal authorities, including the State Historical Preservation Office. As such they do not have the right of free reign to do whatever they want at no cost or without consultation with regulators.
From the perspective of historical preservation, the mining company is required by law to conform with provisions of the National Historical Preservation Act as it relates to essentially anyting that is 50 years old or more. And I know that during the early development of the current mining operation the company spent on the order of $5 million documenting the historical artifacts from one small [less than 5 acres] triangle of Public Land that contained a trash dump. As such, they have been mindful of the historical resource fo the Cripple Creek mining district
At the same time the mining company has created a few hundred well paying jobs [with some of the best benefit packages around] in an area that otherwise has limited meanignful employment opportunities.
My comments are not intended to condone the conflict between large-scale mining enterprises and other endeavours and interests. Instead, I wanted to comment that there are really two sides to this discussion.
Like each of you, I have a deep and a very long-standing appreciation for narrow gauge railroads and historical preservation. At the same time I hope that I have a healthy respect for the economic opportunities that a more than 40 year career in the natural resource industry has given to me and my family. I have ridden the CC&V on more than one occasion, and I enjoyed it, even if the locos were not hisstorically accurate, and I hope that the mine and the railway will be able to coexist.
My apologies to all whom may be offended by my defense of the gold mine.
TED
u3o8geo
