Environmental conditions added to proposed state mining exemption rules

Lawmakers want more environmental safeguards before opening the door to lithium mining in Newry. The Legislature’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee voted last week to add a half-dozen extra conditions that a would-be mineral excavator must meet to get an exemption from the state’s open pit mining ban. The new conditions would double the number of test borings required to prove the area is safe for open-air mining, cut the maximum size of the pit itself in half, from 10 to 5 acres, require the applicant to test for high...