To the Editor:

I want to comment on the “newly discovered” lithium deposit in Newry that front-paged the October 29 Bethel Citizen. I would note that this deposit has been known for decades. My father-in-law, Dana C. Douglass, Jr., was a mica miner in the early 1950s. He told me he had climbed many mountains in the Bethel area looking for potential mining sites.

In the late 1960s or early 1970s, Dana told me that there were Spodumene crystals on Plumbago that were 40 feet long. Guess he was pretty much spot on, but at that time, lithium wasn’t that big a deal. Now, it is.

As a person with a Bachelor’s degree in Geology and a Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering, both from UMO, I say, hey, State of Maine, let’s figure out how we can mine this. Maine has many mining prospects for valuable minerals, but regulations virtually prevent hard rock mining. Let’s change that in an environmentally responsible manner.

Mark Hutchins

Bethel

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