City of McCall tells Midas Gold 'No'
Midas Gold has been working diligently to convince the communities of the West Central Mountains to sign a partnership agreement which is being touted to investors in exchange for rising stock prices. This past Monday notched a big win for those who oppose the Stibnite Gold Project. After due diligence by the City of McCall, the Council unanimously voted not to sign an agreement with Midas Gold. A link to the statement released by the City of McCall can be found here.
Idaho Rivers United congratulates and applauds everyone who invested their time and knowledge to this issue. The citizens of McCall have proven that local voices and diligence are the most powerful tools we have when fighting corporate giants such as Midas. When communities are engaged and join hands the tide does turn.
McCall resident, Nate Ostis, shares his experience from Monday night as well as his thoughts surrounding Midas, their partnership agreement and what’s to come.
"Midas Gold continues its aggressive path of deception and corruption with recent efforts to establish "community agreements" in the towns surrounding the Stibnite Gold Project. These agreements appear to have clear and direct conflict of interests embedded within including financial ties and rewards for the towns that sign on, as well as direct violations of our State's constitution. The towns that have signed it did not undergo any semblance of a democratic process but instead made this decision for their constituents without vote. In turn, Midas is now touting public support for this project to their investors indicating their deceit goes in multiple directions. Locals from all towns are incensed with this tactic and that shined through clearly this past Monday when the opposition showed up in full force at the McCall City Council meeting. Only a handful of people spoke in favor of this agreement and most of them work for Midas or have already received significant financial reward. None of them disclosed this information during their comments. Over 60 people spoke against the Midas agreement for the better part of a 4-hour meeting. The people have spoke. They are tired of smoke and mirrors, pivots, and re-directs. It's impossible to respect a process that is built upon a foundation of manipulation, misinformation, and financial leverage. Midas Gold...you've created a monster here and are bringing this community together in ways I'm sure you did not intend. Our resistance will not fatigue. We grow in numbers by the hour. And you can expect to see our faces and hear our voices at every single turn."
We encourage all citizens of Valley County, as well as anyone who has a stake in the protection of the Salmon River drainage, to be engaged in this process moving forward. It cannot be overstated how valuable your input is. Valley County Commissioners have yet to sign the Midas partnership agreement and will hold a special public meeting where citizens are welcome to voice their concerns. The meeting will be held at Donnelly Elementary School, Wednesday the 16th at 6 pm. Comments should be directly related to the partnership agreement and not to exceed 3 minutes. For those unable to attend, please consider composing your thoughts in an email sent to commissioners@co.valley.id.us.
Read on below for recent news relating to the Stibnite Gold Project, a link to the West Central Mountain Partnership Agreement and a link to our Stibnite webpage. A draft environmental impact statement is projected to be released late this summer. Please stay tuned, as we will let you know how to get involved when the time comes.