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In an Aug. 31 letter in the BDN, Steve Smith bemoaned Wolfden Resources’ efforts to establish a copper mine in Maine. I do not want a mine in Maine for all of the reasons he lists, but where are we to get the copper our lifestyle requires?
Demand in the U.S. for copper is increasing due to the growing electrification of our economy. If we do not produce copper domestically, it must be imported. Large quantities of copper used here in the U.S. are mined in poor countries, where water quality and environmental standards are far lower than here in Maine. In some areas, children labor in “artisanal” mines (unsafe holes) to get copper for our needs. As a result, we devastate poor countries and their inhabitants to satiate our demand for metals: out of our sight and off of our conscience.
I find it morally repugnant to take advantage of poor, defenseless people to sustain our metal demands when we have a domestic supply that can be extracted in a much more environmentally sound manner. Recycling is not the answer… the volumes needed are too great.
Before someone else raises concerns about the threat of mining in Maine, let them answer the question: Where can we get copper in the volumes we use without despoiling someplace else?
Dr. Joseph T. Kelley
Orono