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Timeline

OHA's challenge of mine proposal

1990	April	BMG submits five page Categorical Exclusion for exploration on Buckhorn Mountain
1992	January	BMG Submits Initial Plan of Operations for Crown Jewel Joint Venture
	March	Scoping begins for Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
	March	Okanogan Highlands Alliance is formed
	December	Conservation groups form Washington Coalition for Responsible Mining
1993	January	BMG applies for mineral patents
	February	Campaign begins for new mining regulations
	March	Full page ads in state wide newspapers begin efforts for cyanide leach moratorium
1994	March	Legislature passes Metals Mining & Milling Act
	November	65 protest recorded for BMG Water Rights, including Tribes and Canadians
1995	March	County Commissioners pressure agencies to approve mine
	June	Draft EIS Issued
	September	Tribes vote “NO” to mining on Reservation
1996	March	BMG merges with Hemlo Gold of Canada
	August	US Taxpayers pay BMG $65 million not to mine New World Project near Yellowstone
1997	January	Final EIS released
	March	OHA and others appeal EIS
	May	EIS Appeals denied, lawsuit filed in Federal District Court
	May	Okanogan County approves Conditional use permit,
	June	Water quality hearing, Oroville, WA
	September	Dam safety and stormwater permits approved by Ecology
	October	Air quality hearing in Oroville, WA
	November	BMG water rights approved, OHA appeals to PCHB
1998	January	Air quality permit issued by Ecology
	January	BMG general manager for Crown Jewel, Brant Hinze, moves to Bolivia
	May	OHA sues Okanogan County over solid waste permits
	May	PCHB hears OHA and Tribes appeal of BMG water rights
	September	BMG reduces staff
1999	January	Ecology issues addendum to EIS
	January	Federal judge rules against OHA and upholds EIS
	February	Ecology issues Water Quality Certification to BMG, OHA appeals
	February	Superior Court denies OHA’s challenge of County exemption from solid waste permit
	March	Federal agencies deny Plan of Operations and revoke Record of Decision for mine - Millsite Decision
	May	Gorton Rider exempts BMG from millsite provision of 1872 mining law
	June	Plan of operations approved by Forest Service and BLM
	June	BMG receives Corps 404 filing Wetlands Permit permit
	August	OHA and Tribes appeal Plan of Operations to IBLA
	September	PCHB hears OHA and Tribes appeal of BMG’s water quality certification
	September	IBLA denies OHA’s appeal of Plan of Operations
2000	January	PCHB revokes BMG’s water rights and water quality certification
	February	BMG writes off value of Crown Jewel project
	March	BMG appeals PCHB decision to Superior Court, Ecology does not appeal
	June	BMG acquired by Newmont Mining
2001	February	Superior Court upholds PCHB decision
	July	BMG abandons efforts to mine on Buckhorn
2002	March	Crown Resources declares Chapter 11 bankruptcy
	May	Kinross purchases Echo Bay including the Republic mill, tailings and mines
	July	Newmont Mining reclaims BMG exploration damage
	August	Crown submits plans for an underground mine with mill and tailings in Beaver Canyon
2004	February	Kinross announces intent to purchase Crown - Beaver Canyon mill & tailings changed to expanding Republic tailings dump
	December	BLM issues mineral patent to Crown, privatizing Buckhorn Mountain
2005	November	Ecology published draft Supplemental EIS
	December	EPA and Washington Fish & Wildlife find DSEIS lacking
2006	September	Ecology publishes final SEIS and issues Construction General Permit which allows construction of the mine
	October	Colville Tribal Council reconfirms its vehement opposition to mine
2007	January	USDA Forest Service approves road access on Marias Creek
	May	OHA appeals road access in Federal Court
	August	Ecology approves tailings expansion - OHA appeals
	September	Ecology issues NPDES Waste Discharge permit - OHA appeals
	September	Federal Judge denies OHA's motion for preliminary injunction
	October	Ecology issues Water Quality Certification and water rights OHA appeals
	November	Ecology issues final permits; water rights
	December	OHA appeals, hearing process begins trial set for May 12
2008	April	OHA and Crown agree to settle Federal and State appeals
	April	Crown seeks exploration permit
	October	OHA discovers erosion below 002 discharge pipe
	November	OHA meets with Crown and agencies for first unofficial review of monitoring
	March	First Annual Meeting; OHA expresses grave concerns
2009	April	Crown fined $40,000 for water quality violation; failure to maintain a capture zone around the mine
	April	Forest Service issues exploration EA
	June	Forest Service approves exploration
	July	Mine water quality problems persist Breakpoint Chlorination system fails and is abandoned
	July	Multiple Violations issued by Ecology
	August	OHA provides Comprehensive Matrix of Reporting Requirements to agencies and Crown
	September	Temporary reverse osmosis treatment installed
2010	January	OHA hires Conservation Coordinator to implement restoration and education programs
	January	OHA purchases Lost Lake wetland
	March	Second annual meeting with OHA, Crown, and agencies
	Spring	Company stores up to 7.9 million gallons of water in mine-shafts, and trucks waste water at a rate of over a million gallons per month to the tailings pond near Republic, WA, with no environmental review or mitigation to compensate for the loss of water from the basin
	March	Crown submits Notice of Intent for extensive exploration program
	June	Ecology water quality official retires with no replacement
	June	Gold Bowl water quality triggers adaptive management
	June	Landslide approximately 25 x 125 feet, caused by discharge of treated mine water, fells large trees and a significant amount of soil into the headwaters of South Nicholson Creek.
	September	Kinross investigation reveals that the company failed to report significant discharges from the treatment facility that exceeded water quality standards between May and August 2009, and that efforts were taken to make the compliance monitoring data appear better than they actually were
	November	Scoping begins for proposed Buckhorn Exploration Project
	November	OHA launches "Highland Wonders" educational series, featuring the natural history of the Okanogan Highlands and surrounding areas
2011	January	Company installs new reverse osmosis equipment that doubles the treatment capacity to 200 gpm
	January	Ecology hires qualified staff to replace previous hydrogeologist overseeing the mine’s water quality permits, after a gap of 7 months
	March	Mine consultant confirms gaps in the capture zone at annual meeting
	Spring	Company stores over 16 million gallons of water underground in mine shafts and mine is flooded. Places to discharge treated water are severely limited.
	May	Large slope failure, just below the mine facilities and one of the treated mine water discharge areas, sends mud cascading thousands of feet, uprooting large trees and scouring the creek drainage of all vegetation
	June	Back pressure in the Mine Water line causes flooding of the chlorination building via the floor drain, releasing an estimated maximum of 15,300 gallons into the ground and surface water
	June	OHA hires Mural Coordinator to facilitate painting of murals on Cultural Community Center exterior walls, Tonasket, depicting natural history of the highlands
	September	OHA completes installation of wildlife friendly fence to protect Lost Lake wetland from trampling by cattle in nearby grazing allotments

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