A new gold rush in California is taking place. The ‘Golden State’ says that many companies are planning large scale mining in the state as the price of gold soars and makes it viable to restart old operations that were previously shut down.
The initial Gold Rush started in 1848 when James Marshal discovered gold at Sutter’s Mill. The carpenter was responsible for the migration of many hundred people as they came to try their luck at gold prospecting. Mining dried up in California following the Second World War.
Now with gold prices having hit record highs there is more than one firm that hopes to revive gold mining at the main gold deposit area known as the California Mother Lode. Environmentalists are concerned about the pollution these mining activities will bring in their wake.
Dan Jacobson of Environment California, said, they're going to start their process. Boom, the price of gold is going to drop and these companies are going to be out. And who cleans up that mess?
The response of the Sutter Gold Mining Company, which is going to operate the reopened mine near the historic Highway 49 said that it was going to use cleaner and modern extraction techniques. They added that about 100 jobs would be created in the area where the current employment rate is 13%.
The complex is called the Lincoln mine and was on the historic tourist attraction list complete with underground tours of the mine till recently. Last week the mine has moved back into regular production after Sutter Gold met all the currently prevalent environmental regulations in the state.
It is not the only mine which has been reopened. The Briggs Mine in Death Valley reopened last year and produced 25,000 ounces of gold. Another mine on the Mexico border was reopened in 2008 and had produced 170,000 ounces of gold last year.