Aerial view of the Bandon area where Chromite mining is proposed.
Yesterday, OPB’s Cassandra Profita posted an article on the proposed chromite mine near Coos Bay, Oregon to her environmental blog, Ecotrope. In the Mining Weekly.com article, representatives from the mining company, Oregon Resources Corporation, stated they are ready to begin mining this month and will ramp up to full production in July if not sooner. The article does not mention the status of the processing plant in Coos Bay and whether work has been completed there. The article accurately describes the mine as the first US chromite mine. This is the reason local neighbors are so concerned about the mining – it’s never been approved before and as a result the impacts are completely unknown. Despite this overwhelming uncertainty, the agencies responsible for environmental analysis decided the project could go forward. This could mean that future applications for chromite mining will also be approved with only minimal environmental review. Neighbors and the Oregon Coast Alliance are still fighting the mining permits and working to see that our environmental laws are put into action.