The call for evidence I directed to the Gateway Conservation Alliance leadership:
Hello to the GCA community and all critical thinkers. We’ve all heard various concerns regarding the gravel pit, including health risks, road safety issues, river impact, and well contamination. This brings me to a thought-provoking point: if there were concrete examples of TMC Inc. causing health issues, road safety hazards, river damage, or well pollution, surely the GCA opposition would have highlighted such evidence by now. Considering TMC’s 30-year history in mining, any record of negligence or harm would be well documented. Such evidence would likely have significant consequences for their operations. As someone whose family is in business with TMC Inc., I assure you we wouldn’t be involved if there was any truth to these claims. So, I urge you to present specific data or case studies directly related to TMC Inc. that back up your concerns. Let’s seek the truth together.
Bayard Black – Theme of post on Gateway Conservation Alliance Facebook Page: Aug 16, 2023
The response from the GCA Facebook administrator is quite revealing:
Ladies and gentlemen. GCA does not encourage or condone bashing of a company. TMC is a local company that hires local workers and supports local causes. They are a business just trying to operate but with the wrong location for a mine. Please don’t be baited into this post because it isn’t relevant to the overall cause.
Tracie Gibbons – Administrator Post on Gateway Conservation Alliance Facebook Page: Aug 16, 2023
My Response:
I am sorry, you don’t get to have it both ways. You can’t make multiple posts about poor children that will be breathing death dust, rivers that will be destroyed, and Highway 191 carnage, not to mention your mission statement, and now claim that it’s simply about where the pit is located. You’ve added fuel to this fire and now you act like it’s only the location of the gravel pit that you are concerned about. It makes you appear so manipulative.
Bayard Black
The silence from the GCA leadership speaks volumes. Their apparent reluctance to provide specific evidence suggests it might not exist at all, and their avoidance of engaging in meaningful dialogue further underscores this point. It appears that local Gateway Conservation Alliance leaders are employing environmental concerns strategically, not to protect the environment but to manipulate public opinion and incite fear. This approach not only undermines genuine environmental issues but also erodes their own credibility. If there are legitimate, data-driven environmental concerns related to our gravel pit, we are eager to address them proactively. However, there is a troubling possibility: even if our mitigation efforts effectively resolve each issue, they may still be insufficient for those who are concealing their true motives behind a facade of environmental activism. This misuse of environmental rhetoric threatens to overshadow real challenges, turning a critical public dialogue into a disingenuous debate.