Northern Plains isn’t just about agriculture, but it is about clean water and and healthy environment. After years of contention, in 2000 Northern Plains, along with affiliates Stillwater Protective Association and Cottonwood Resource Council, entered into a legally binding agreement with Stillwater Mining Company. The Good Neighbor Agreement governs mine traffic, citizen water sampling of streams, and oversight of North America’s only producer of palladium and platinum, in the Beartooth Mountains of south-central Montana.
The impacts of hard rock mining were a significant issue for Northern Plains in the 1990s. We joined with a nationwide effort to reform federal mining law, but long-overdue reforms have still not been achieved. In 1996 and 1998, Northern Plains played a significant role in two ballot measures aimed at protecting water quality from pollution by hard rock mining. The 1996 Clean Water Initiative was defeated at the polls, but the 1998 ban on new cyanide heap leach mining (sponsored by the Montana Environmental Information Center) was passed and it was strongly defended by voters when the mining industry tried to repeal it at the polls in 2004. Northern Plains members put in many hours working for on all these campaigns.
In 1999-2000, Northern Plains and two of our affiliate groups – Stillwater Protective Association and Cottonwood Resource Council – negotiated a “Good Neighbor Agreement” with the Stillwater Mining Company, an agreement that allowed platinum and palladium mining to proceed while extending protections beyond state requirements to protect land, water, and area communities. The legally binding contract established a process for citizens to regularly meet with company representatives to address and prevent problems related to mining impacts, reclamation, wildlife, and other issues. It set aside land in conservation easements, instituted a program to reduce traffic on winding valley roads, and provided for independent environmental audits. Since 2000, the Good Neighbor Agreement has demonstrated that it’s possible to run a responsible, profitable mining operation while protecting natural resources. A 2008 agreement signed in Washington State mentioned the Stillwater Agreement as an inspiration that it’s possible to reach an accord on mining issues that protects important natural resources.
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