Working in the Mogollon Area We Will Create Economic Opportunities and Protect the Environment While Providing for Our Nation's Growing Mineral Needs
MOGOLLON, NEW MEXICO— At Summa Silver environmental stewardship and creating economic opportunities are values we act on every day while we seek to assist our Nation's transition to a greener economy.
Recently Leia Barnett with Wild Earth Guardians placed an editorial in this paper about Summa Silver's Mogollon Project that was misleading to your readers. We want to set the record straight.
Our current permitted Mogollon project is entirely on private, patented and fee lands, and will not impact public lands.
The New Mexico Mining and Minerals Division (MMD) approved a minimal impact exploration drill permit partly because our current project is only permitted for under 1.5 acres of total disturbance in the entire 3,745-acre project area.
As environmental stewards it's important to us to know that our Mogollon project won't have any lasting impact on the environment. Summa Silver also recognizes that the Mexican Spotted Owl is a species of concern. We recently completed Mexican Spotted Owl surveys for our project and no Mexican spotted owl nests were discovered within the permitted project area.
Although Summa Silver is exempt the New Mexico Night Sky Protection Act, we intend to do everything feasible to do our part to protect dark skies at our Mogollon minimal impact drilling site.
It's equally important to us that our project benefits the local economy by employing local contractors for various aspects of exploration where possible, and through purchases of food, fuel, lodging, and other goods and services at local, regional, and state levels.
Silver is a vital metal in the transition to a greener economy. By 2030 annual silver demand for solar panels alone could triple, potentially consuming 30% of all annual global supply. In addition, significant amounts of silver are required for electric vehicles, the widespread adoption of which is visible on the horizon. Clearly, much more silver is needed to both meet national goals for reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and for the transition to an economy that increasingly taps zero-carbon energy sources.
Building domestic supply chains for essential minerals is also of critical national importance. Many of the minerals used in things like our cell phones and cars come from third-world dictatorships where children are forced to be miners, where local populations receive little benefit, and where environmental standards do not exist. This is fundamentally wrong.
New Mexico is blessed with natural resources and there is strong potential for new discovery. At Summa Silver, we look forward to continuing exploration work at our promising project near Mogollon. At our core, this work will be conducted in a sustainable and inclusive manner which respects the permitting process. Most importantly our goal is that one day the silver deposits we uncover will help bring a renewed
prosperity to this special part of rural America. You may see our people in Catron County at a gas station or in a cafe. If you do, please feel free to introduce yourself and share your opinion.
Galen McNamara CEO
Summa Silver