Shafter
Cibolo Creek Ranch owner John Poindexter is ramping up his efforts to contest a renewal permit for wastewater discharge from the Shafter Silver Mine by asking area residents to comment to the state’s environmental agency and demand a public hearing.
Accompanying an email sent out by the John Poindexter Company are pointed flyers that say: “Water Matters More than Silver,” concerns about “Heavy metals in mine discharge” and “Questions about containment and monitoring” and the declaration that “No permit should move forward without proof that local land, water, and neighboring properties will be protected.”
The mine is located on the west side of Highway 67 across from the town of Shafter, and Poindexter’s resort neighbors the property.
Poindexter also sent a letter to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) on March 2 saying the mine — currently owned by Black Bear Minerals but listed in documents under a previous name, JBM Project LLC — should have, under Texas law, submitted a renewal application 180 days before its December 15 expiration but did not.
The CEO of Black Bear Minerals, Dennis Lindgren, and an attorney for the company could not be immediately reached and did not respond to a request for comment in a previous Big Bend Sentinel article on the permit.
TCEQ is currently accepting written public comments regarding the proposed renewal of the permit at www14.tceq.texas.gov/epic/eComment/ (permit number WQ0004297000). You can view the application and TCEQ instructions and administrative notes here.
State Sen. César J. Blanco has requested that TCEQ hold a public meeting in Presidio County. The meeting has not yet been scheduled. The public comment will remain open until after the public meeting is held.
