1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I am writing as someone who lived for many years in the region near Castle Mountains, and I urge you to oppose the Castle Mountain Mine Phase II expansion. I know this landscape well, and the proposed project would cause permanent, devastating harm. The expansion would leave a 400‑foot‑deep pit that will act as a permanent drain on the water table. Combined with pumping more than 2,000 acre‑feet of groundwater per year, this will dry up Piute Spring (the only perennial stream in the area) and threaten the entire desert aquifer. Once a desert spring is lost, it is gone forever. The project would also destroy thousands of acres of intact habitat, including nearly 2,000 acres of Joshua tree forest, and further endanger the Mojave desert tortoise. These ecosystems cannot be restored once disturbed. All of this irreversible damage would occur for extremely low‑grade ore that requires enormous amounts of water, cyanide, and land disturbance for minimal return. I urge you to oppose this expansion and advocate for stronger protections for the Mojave Desert’s water and wildlife. This landscape is too fragile and too important to sacrifice.