Board backs Adirondack land swap proposal
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November 2, 2013
The Warren County Economic Development Corporation executive board is urging voters to approve Proposal 5 on Tuesday’s ballot, which is an amendment to allow an Adirondack land swap between the state and a mining company.
Voters will decide whether to allow NYCO Minerals, Inc., to swap 1,500 acres of recreational forests for the Adirondack Forest Preserve for 200 acres of the current preserve the company will use for mining.
The company wants the land so it can expand wollastontite mining operations in Lewis, Essex County.
Wollastontite is a mineral used in fire-proofing applications.
The EDC says the land swap will protect more than 100 jobs and keep jobs in a region where logging and mining have shut down due to land use and environmental restrictions.
The company says when it finishes mining, it will restore the condition of the land and return it to forest preserve.
According to a release from the EDC, the present mine is expected to be "played out" in three to four years.
"If the mineral deposit in adjacent state land is mined, it will add an additional eight to 10 years to the mine’s productive span," the release said.
The Adirondack Mountain Club, Adirondack Council, New York League of Conservation Voters, Business Council of New York and New York State AFL CIO also endorsed the proposal.
