While this seems like an incredibly odd statement, it is very true and I state plainly it to make a point. There is an anti mining website ["nodirtygold.org"] that was created by a left leaning group of folks which people sometimes ask about. According to them, there is no acceptable gold mining, without exception ? all newly mined gold is termed ?dirty gold?. Responsible companies, irresponsible, no distinction is made ? all are deemed evil and the baby is cast out with the bathwater. They have little expertise or knowledge in the environmental field, and even less concerning the mining industry, and without evidence they claim that somehow all mining destroys the land or is a horrible threat to someone. You can note from their website that there is virtually no documentation for any of their allegations - its because 99% of the allegations are simply baseless. So what do they accomplish? Not a darn thing except fund raising!



The organization is totally hypocritical as the people who run the website drive around in their cars made of newly mined "dirty" iron, zinc, copper, etc. You know they all live in houses plumbed with "dirty" copper pipe, their houses are also wired with copper, they drive cars wired with copper, use computers and cell phones wired with copper, etc. "Dirty" platinum and palladium reduces the smog emissions of the "dirty" gasoline they burn to run their dirty cars. They use the very "dirty" gold and silver they condemn in the contacts of all their electronic devices. Not just their phones and TVs, but the very computers they use to create their website to bash the mining industry contains that same "dirty" gold they are condemning, and telling you not to use! They love their nice luxurious electrically enhanced lives, and so are hypocrites to the extreme. ?No Dirty Gold? is not the only one of these scammers. There are others like ?Great Basin Mine Watch?, a phony organization located right here in my hometown of Reno. All of these anti-mining organizations use the very products they condemn. It's like a bunch of crack addicts holding a protest against crack makers, when they are the ones who buy the product and keep the makers in business. Just more examples of "better than you" types of groups that do for themselves exactly what they preach that you shouldn't do!

The big ?thing? which is promoted at ?no dirty gold? is the use of recycled gold. They imply that since recycled gold is already out of the ground, it is therefore somehow more environmentally friendly. Most recycled gold is recovered from computers and other electronics parts. The lie they don't tell you is that the process of recycling gold involves the use of strong acids (creating hazardous wastes) and incineration of plastic electronic components (creating serious air pollution emissions and even more toxic waste). Environmentally speaking, recycled gold is probably WORSE than newly mined gold as far as pollution created per ounce of gold. So in the end they really are encouraging and supporting the generation of increased amounts of toxic waste. Is there any validity to their claim that recycled gold is somehow environmentally better than newly mined gold? Of course not! But they have to keep up the lie so the money continues flowing into their coffers.

More information about the truth of this story can be viewed at: http://nevada-outback-gems.com/Reference_pages/Dirty_gold/Dirty_Gold.htm

Chris is an independent investor and his market comments can be viewed at: http://nevada-outback-gems.com/gold_invest/Investing_Gold.htm

One of nodirtygold's chief targets is Couer 'Alene Mines. I have spent time at a Couer mine here in Nevada ? and know it to be a clean operation. Yet this is one of the companies repeatedly attacked by ?no dirty gold? on their web site. The Couer mine I have visited is their silver and gold mine at Rochester in Nevada. That mine is highly regulated and very clean. I have been there in person to see it. The folks in the nearby town are glad to have them in their county - for many years it has been the county's largest business and their taxes pay a considerable portion of the county budget. The environmental impacts from that mine beyond their property boundary are near zero. So don't let an extremist website full of baloney, that offers few if any facts to support their allegations convince you somehow that all newly mined gold and silver are somehow "dirty". The facts just don't support the charge.

The truth is that mining companies are subject to thousands upon thousands of laws limiting their effects on the environment. These companies must obtain and hold dozens of permits governing the impacts their operations. Here in the US, they must pay the government in advance for the cost for the reclamation for any land disturbed by their operations. They must pay for their own reclamation before they even turn their first shovel full of dirt. Mining is one of the most heavily regulated businesses out there. Yes, a century ago, miners made some serious environmental impacts. However this is not 1877, and things have changed. We have the EPA, BLM, MSHA and many other Federal, State and local government agencies to constantly regulate and minimize the impacts of their operations.

Another important point about all these groups who oppose all mining in the US is that their efforts are actually increasing pollution in small developing nations populated mostly by minorities. The gold, copper and other resources have to come from somewhere, so it gets mined in Bolivia, or Namibia or someplace like that. These countries are poorly prepared to regulate the mines there and as a result, more pollution is created than per pound of metal mined than there would be if it were just mined here. Think about it ? there is actually more pollution created on a worldwide basis than if those resources were mined simply here and used here because of our strong environmental laws. Supporting mining in the USA actually reduces worldwide pollution. The "not in my backyard" perspective promoted by these groups is actually a very selfish and self-centered one.

So don't buy the baloney, don't fall for the lie, don't drink the Kool-Aid! If you want to give some money to make the world a better place, find the local homeless shelter in your community. Most of these operations make highly efficient use of donated money to help those who are down and out. Any money donated to ?no dirty gold? is wasted and accomplishes nothing of significance.