August 05, 2008 04:19 PM UTC

Fitz-Gerald Faces Tough Cyanide Mining Questions

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• by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE: In a totally unexpected development (cough), opponent Jared Polis calls for a ban on cyanide mining. Release follows.

UPDATE: by popular demand, here’s the letter Fitz-Gerald sent to Summit County in 2004 opposing the ban on cyanide mining.

As the Rocky Mountain News reports:

Second Congressional District candidate Joan Fitz-Gerald is drawing fire from her Democratic rivals for her opposition to a 2004 ban on cyanide mining in Summit County.

Fitz-Gerald, then a state senator, encouraged a county commissioner to block efforts by “anti-mining activists” to prohibit the use of cyanide to extract tiny amounts of gold from ore. Environmentalists say the technique pollutes water supplies.

In a letter, Fitz-Gerald accused activists of making “misleading and exaggerated statements about Colorado’s gold mining industry . . . I encourage you not to be misled by such statements and set such a negative precedent in Summit County for banning lawfully regulated business practices.”

Fitz-Gerald’s primary opponents, Will Shafroth and Jared Polis, said the letter suggests she was looking out for mining interests over environmental concerns. Until now, Shafroth generally has stayed out of the charges and countercharges flying between Fitz-Gerald and Polis. [Pols emphasis]

The Fitz-Gerald letter “appears to us to be a special favor for a special interest friend,” said Robert Becker, Polis’ campaign manager. Becker has repeatedly criticized Fitz-Gerald for accepting money from political action committees associated with the mining and energy industries.

But Fitz-Gerald’s campaign manager Mary Alice Mandarich disputed that the letter helped anybody.

“To the best of my knowledge . . . there was no gold mine project up there. If there was no gold mine project up there, who was she benefiting?”

Told the letter took the same position as the Colorado Mining Association, an industry group, Mandarich repeated that letter benefited no particular project…

Mandarich struck back against the criticism, noting that Polis, an independently wealthy Internet entrepreneur, has invested in a mining mutual fund.

Our view: it’s possible this one will stick–Fitz-Gerald’s opponents, particularly Jared Polis, have been trying to plant her ties to oil and mining interests as a negative for months now, usually meeting with fierce counterattacks meant to portray Polis as a hypocrite for his investments in similar industries. We’re not sure merely pointing out Polis’ mutual funds will work this time, and Will Shafroth’s joining in the criticism is a significant development. His people may have discovered that it’s not a hopeless quest they’re on after all, and helping to damage Fitz-Gerald may improve Shafroth’s chances.

The best thing for Fitz-Gerald to do now would probably be to ease off on the defensive finger-pointing, and focus on her generally positive ratings from key environmental interest groups. Also, she may be helped by the fact that this is coming out only a week before the election, with early voting well underway. Conventional wisdom suggests those early voters should favor Fitz-Gerald, and this might be too late to affect their support.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 5, 2008

CONTACT: Robert Becker, (303) 381-0121

Jared Polis calls for national ban on cyanide mining: “There is right and there is wrong. I strongly believe the use of cyanide is wrong and will fight for a law to ban its use.

BOULDER, CO – Responding to today’s news story “Fitz-Gerald draws fire on mining” in the Rocky Mountain News, 2nd congressional district Democratic candidate Jared Polis issued the following statement regarding Joan Fitz-Gerald’s 2004 letter [attached] to Summit County officials urging opposition to a ban on cyanide mining:

“When it comes to protecting our environment, there is right and there is wrong. I strongly believe the use of cyanide is wrong and will fight for a law to ban its use.

“Senator Fitz-Gerald’s support for cyanide mining is wrong. Claiming her letter ‘benefited no particular project’ does not change how incredibly wrong her position favoring the use of cyanide is.

“When local citizens – disparagingly referred to as ‘anti-mining activists’ in Senator Fitz-Gerald’s letter – turn out in mass to support a ban on cyanide mining, environmental leaders need to support them. It is disturbing that my opponent – a self-proclaimed environmental leader – would go to such great lengths to write a letter like this on behalf of the mining industry.

“Fitz-Gerald’s letter was a ‘special favor’ for her ‘special friends.’ The mining industry’s PACs gave her campaign contributions before this letter, and continue today. She wrote in her letter to Summit Count that ‘these same anti-mining activists have had little to no success in securing support in Colorado’ for a ban on cyanide mining. Now we know why.

“Cyanide mining is one of the most destructive, toxic and dangerous environmental challenges we face. I applaud Summit County’s successful ban on cyanide mining, encourage the courts to uphold the ban, and vow to fight for a nation-wide ban on cyanide mining in Congress.”

LINK TO STORY: http://www.rockymountainnews.c…

LETTER ATTACHED [See above – Pols]

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