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May 25, 2005
Beatty could go from mining gold to windAREA NEAR BARRICK BULLFROG MINE COULD BE USED AS WIND, SOLAR ENERGY 'FARM' OPERATION
By PHILLIP GOMEZ According to Richard E. Lingenfelter's account in "Death Valley & The Amargosa: A Land of Illusion," (University of California Press, 1986), Shorty was skeptical at first, but then as he examined the ore specimen, "his cheeks flushed with excitement and he finally let out a war whoop, jumped up and shouted: 'Hellfire, Eddie, we've struck the richest jackpot this side of the Klondike!'" In no time at all, word of the Bullfrog strike had spread to Tonopah and Goldfield and the stampede was on. The Bullfrog Mining District came into being within a few weeks. Lingenfelter says that some miners sought the aid of a psychic, like the California faith healer who claimed in her visions that ore was to be found deep under ground. The city of Rhyolite, a modern metropolis of 10,000 in the first decade of the 20th century, but now lying in ruins west of Beatty, became the most enduring legacy of the Bullfrog mining frenzy. One of the penultimate chapters in Southern Nevada's rich mining history concluded in the late 1990s when Barrick Bullfrog Inc. shut down gold-mining operations it had been engaged in for a decade. True to the faith healer's prophecy, the deep-seated Bullfrog Mine had yielded $910 million in gold over the course of its 10-year lifespan. But that may not be the Bullfrog's final croak. Barrick Corp., the parent of Barrick Bullfrog, intends to transfer 81 acres of its former mining property to the Beatty Economic Development Corporation, a 501(C)3 non-profit. Additionally, 10,000 acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management surrounds the property, which the redevelopment corporation wants to lease. But instead of underground mining, the redevelopment plan calls for mining the skies with its ever-renewable golden rays and gusty zephyrs. The site, located in a narrow band of Nye County well documented as receiving the highest level of solar radiation in the country, has been proposed as a wind and solar farm, a demonstration project for "green energy." "It's really a wonderful opportunity for Beatty," says Nye County Commissioner Joni Eastley. "They have the chance to be at the forefront of green energy development." Eastley is team leader for the county's Brownfields grant projects, a reclamation initiative sponsored by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Beatty's old Bullfrog mine was selected by the EPA as one of only six in the nation for a pilot project for reclamation under the agency's Mine-Scarred Lands program. Dr. James Marble, Nye County's director of the office of natural resources, presented his "Mine-Scarred Lands Initiative" slideshow to Beatty residents on May 12, and to Pahrump residents on May 16. Beatty boosters are completing an alternative energy feasibility study and exploring possibilities for diversifying their economy in sustainable ways and through a number of other initiatives. But it's the green energy approach that holds the most promise. Continuing dialog with the BLM over leasing public lands for setting up arrays of solar generating reflectors has become integral to the town's re-use plan for the Bullfrog, an area approximately 180 acres in size. The sun shines on Beatty more than 300 days of the year and the wild desert wind is constant. That makes it predictable, and promoters say bankable. They believe that, with support, they could have another gold mine on their hands - sunshine suitable for conversion to local energy use. As well, the sunbeams could be exported as alternative electric energy. But the question remains whether solar and wind energy can be produced on a scale sufficient to allow export to outside markets. What would Shorty do? Well, he'd probably celebrate his good fortune in a saloon, which is what he did with his share of newly found wealth. When he woke up from a drunken stupor six days later, he found he had signed away his half-claim for a paltry $1,000. Beatty solar supporters don't intend to celebrate too early. But they know that history is on their side. With extractive fossil fuel industries all around in decline, (as indicated by soaring gasoline and natural gas prices), government and industry will be looking to cheaper sources of energy in coming years. Already, Nevada supports alternative energy development with a tax exemption and energy legislation calling for 15 percent of total electricity production to be renewable by 2013. Nevada universities earmark $4 million per year to alternative energy research. The Nevada Energy Office is exploring wind energy production in the area. The federal Department of Energy, already a major presence in Nevada with the Yucca Mountain project and Nevada Test Site, provides analyses of the state's solar and wind resources. And, importantly, the BLM has recently issued directives to its field offices on the potential for solar and wind energy development on public lands. Visions of alternative energy in Beatty have been around for a number of years. In 1999, a number of solar and wind energy companies sent representatives to the town to assess the potential for re-use of the Bullfrog Mine. They found transmission capacity available in existing substations and transformers capable of being reconfigured to send electric energy out to the nationwide grid. In early 2000, Bomin Solar Research published a report entitled "Implementation of a Pilot and Demonstration Project in the Amargosa Valley, Nevada." The study explored alternative energy production in the area. Promoters plan to continue to collaborate with federal and state agencies involved already with alternative energy. A development plan would draw upon previous efforts to analyze Beatty's optimal energy development, the costs and potential revenue streams available. Analysts would determine the feasibility of electrical interconnection and transmission to the utility grid. The servicing utility for the area, Valley Electric Association, would have to agree to take on the project. Alternative organizational structures, such as private producers or the creation of a new energy cooperative, are also being contemplated. Production of alternative energy would just be the start of Beatty's revitalization. Boosters envision their alternative goldmine attracting businesses and industry to the town - just as the original Bullfrog blossomed into a mining district with scores of makeshift towns and claims. With its plentiful water supply, its untapped tourism potential as the gateway to Death Valley National Park and historic Rhyolite, with its electrical infrastructure linkage via federal energy rights-of-way - running just west of the Bullfrog Mine to Washington State - Beatty promoters feel poised to become the alternative energy showcase of the nation. At least that's what the sunny optimists are saying. In that they're in good, if crusty, company, they're following in the beaten path and spirit of Nevada's single-blanket jackass prospectors. |
