hey rawk,

I have been doing some research on how these types of practices could be diminished for whoever mines the Tesoro. The main problem with whats going on with Newmont, is their tailing ponds and how they are handling their mining waste. Things are being worked on in the mining industry to limit the enviromental impact mining is having on the ecosystem. Here is one newer practice that would help the buyer of the Tesoro considerably.It may cost more, but could be factored into the buyout. Lori could also use this as part of her sales pitch. This way a miner could put this type of practise in their permitting and would most likely have the best chance of getting the required permitting.

Dry stacking

Tailings do not have to be stored in ponds or sent as slurries into oceans, rivers or streams. There is a growing use of the practice of dewatering tailings using vacuum or pressure filters so the tailings can then be stacked.[10] This saves water, reduces the impacts on the environment in terms of space used, leaves the tailings in a dense and stable arrangement and eliminates the long-term liability that ponds leave after mining is finished.

[edit] Storage in underground workings

While disposal into exhausted open pits is generally a straightforward operation, disposal into underground voids is more complex.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tailings

I put the part about the open pit in there because I beleive there is a good chance the Tesoro will be an open pit mine. So, if the purchaser would/could, practice the "dry stacking" method, when the Tesoro is mined, the open pit could be filled in with the tailings. A lot more property would most likely be required to accomodate the tailings, good thing we have more. A miner could start out on the original Tesoro, but eventually he may need what ever surrounding land he can get there. If we could sell the original Tesoro, it would be no trouble to get rid of the other claims even if they didn,t hold much gold. But it is my belief that all that property on the plateau would be eventually mined for economical gold.