I.
In the early nineteen hundreds
Deming was a railroad village
Next big railroad stop from Lordsburg
Big steam engines, Army bases
.
After railroad went to diesel
Farm and ranch supported Deming
Harvey House Hotel was leveled
Less excitement, war was over
.
Cows and chilies grew abundant
Thanks to Mimbres River water
Irrigating verdant croplands
In a place that seldom sees rain
.
Quiet life appealed to old folks
Peace and quiet, sun and Duck Race
Not much happens, which is good news
Just a dust storm, or a cold day
.
Deming benefited greatly.
From attractive local scen'ry
Craggy mountains, endless vistas
Made it pleasant place to live here
.
Craggy mountain brought in rockhounds
Rockhounds who would pick up samples
Geolapidary treasures
From a sea that's just a mem'ry
.
II.
On the west flank of Flo-Ree-Dahs
Near the very edge of wildness
Came a miner Dave Tognoni
Not an ordinary rockhound
.
Staked a claim on BLM land
Free for all, this land call'd Public
Scenic views, abundant wildlife
Easy access, no down payment
.
Nineteenth Century Mining Law
Expected only men with mules,
With pickaxe, not with high explosive,
With shovel, not with front end loader
.
Thinking big was miner David
Not content to have just one claim
David spun out over twenty
Twenty mine claims on Flo-Ree-Dahs
.
Dream he did of jobs for Deming
Fifteen thousand jobs for Deming
Deming, yes, and Luna County
Jobs for all of Luna County
.
Dreams of big new City building
Dreams of airport and refin'ry
Always planning for our future
Was our savior Dave Tognoni
.
"Right away" said Deming Chamber
"Right Away" the MainStreet echoed
"We don't need all of the details"
"Jobs are promised, let's get started"
.
Other agencies and people
Are more patient with Dave's big plan
Wait until he clarifies things
Not so hasty with their judgement
.
For example Fish and Wildlife,
Big New Mexico Department,
Said a better place can be found
Further from the edge of wildness
.
III.
Mining calls for major planning
Planning done by engineer teams
Taking in the situation
Here's what the planners said to do:
.
Standing near to Park-Ma-Ho-Ney
Is a hillock made of metal
Not exactly shiny metal
First you have to melt the big rocks
.
Dolomite is name of big rocks
Not quite sure how much is in there
Dave the Dreamer only took chips
Just a few chips off the surface
.
Need to drill and blast the hillock
Count up all the dolomite there
But Tognoni skipped this big step
Later maybe, need some cash first
.
Money flow is the suspicion
As the target of the mine claim
Dolomite is just a proxy
For the payoff to Tognoni
.
Hot propane fire will melt rock piles
Propane from a giant pipeline
Pipeline passes north of Deming
Not too far from PNM Plant
.
Sticky problem is location:
Park-Ma-Ho-Ney twenty miles south,
Power Plant is north of Deming
Eye-Ten highway lies between them
.
Interstate is just one problem
Railroad tracks stand in the way too
Not so easy moving mountain
With interstate and rails to cross
.
Gold Street runs through downtown Deming
Only way from Park to Plant site
Trucks and traffic will be chaos
Big mine trucks at Pine and Gold Streets
.
Mine truck traffic won't be minor
Twenty years of steady traffic
Loads of rock ten times each hour
Empty trucks on their return trip
.
Burning propane makes a lot of
C-O-Two, another problem
Global warming killing planet
Caused by too much C-O-Two gas
.
If the mine jobs really happen
Luna County might not see them
Workforce skills and residences
Favor Doña Ana County
.
High wage workers work in Deming
Have good jobs but do not live here
They prefer Las Cruces lifestyle
For the shopping and the high schools
.
IV.
Dave Tognoni had some practice
Mining lands without permission
Maybe Deming would be easy
Maybe dreams would work out this time
.
BLM is the landowner
Fed'ral land has complex rules
Mining permit will be needed
Faceless BLM might stop him
.
Challenges were blasting, traffic,
Dust and water, loss of quiet,
Scar on scen'ry, Indian gravesites,
Ibex hunters, night sky lighting
.
Planning rules are known as Nee-Pah
Nee-Pah is the path to get there
If you want to blast the mountain
You must jump the hoops of Nee-Pah
.
Years it takes to get a permit
BLM, then state permissions
But some disappointed locals
Interfered with all the planning
.
Nee-Pah mandates public hearing
Rude uneducated public
Horning in on dreams of David
Interfering with his mining
.
Gaps were found in all his planning
Such as people living nearby
Such as overhead conveyor
Plans were changed to pass inspection
.
Plans included only two claims
Of the rest no hint was given
Suspicion grew this was a fake-out
Rest of twenty claims must follow
.
Tognoni died, dream unfulfilled
Many thought the mine was finished
But his mine claims carried forward
Thanks to newfound heir named Carol
.
Dave Tognoni had advantage
He was college educated
Carol Brewka was less ready
Mining projects not her background
.
Four times plans faced big revision
'Til at last the Feds okayed it
"Yes, you can deface the mountain
Blast and haul off our Flo-Ree-Dahs"
.
Plan approval is called Fon-Zee
"FONSI" how it's really spelled
Fon-Zee says there is no impact
Or at least no major harm
.
Hasty was the BLM "Finding
of No Impact" to this plan
Like the rock chips of Tognoni
BLM did not dig too deep
.
Local citizens erupted
With an email conversation
Hundreds loudly joined their voices
Formed the "Friends of the Floridas"
.
Strategy was very simple
Sue the BLM directly
For their sloppy plan reviewing
Ask a Judge to throw it all out
.
Stench of mine plan reached all over
Many statewide action groups
Didn't like the great disturbance
Joined with locals in their suit
.
When a lawsuit up and hit them
BLM was in a tight spot
Had to call in Justice lawyers
To rectify the mess they'd made
.
Justice said to BLM they
Better ask for trial delay
Citizens make lots of good points
Do not want to lose abjectly
.
Months went by without a word
While BLM tried to recoup
They issued second "Final" rule
With reasoning yet more absurd
.
V.
And that is now where matters stand
BLM is on the defense
Friends of Floridas pressing hard
With four strong allies by their side
.
Might take years for Fed'ral Court
To hear all Motions, read all Briefs
Decision will be up to Judge then
Always possible to appeal
.
BLM is mine's first hurdle
They may have to start from scratch
But if not, the fight proceeds to
State mine permit, traffic, dust
.
Conquistadors from Old España
Yellow flowers caught their eye
Floreado, Montaña de Flores
"Flo-Ree-Dahs" in the Anglo tongue
.
====================
Resources
Plans, Studies, Public Comments and Approvals
Official Federal (BLM) Mining Project Site:
https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/1505404/570
Plans, Objections and Public Comments
Official State of NM Mining Project Site:
Friends of the Floridas Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/friendsofthefloridas
Deming Chamber of Commerce and Deming MainStreet write to NM Mining and Minerals Division supporting mining in 2017. See pages 25 & 26:
https://www.emnrd.nm.gov/mmd/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2017PublicComments.pdf
NM Department of Game and Fish suggest mining someplace else, and also say "the Plan of Operations significantly under represents the diversity of wildlife". See Pages 14 & 15:
Magnesium Metal Sources and Uses:
https://www.usgs.gov/centers/nmic/magnesium-statistics-and-information
How to Melt Dolomite Rocks:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pidgeon_process
https://www.cargohandbook.com/Dolomite
Opinion on Economic Impact on Deming from Mining:
Discussion of Present Effect of 1872 Mining Law:
Examples of Federal Government Mistreatment of Sensitive Sites:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51449739
Battle of Floridas War Memorial Placed in Virginia, not in New Mexico:
https://www.legion.org/memorials/238029/corporal-clinton-greaves-memorial-historical-marker
David Tognoni mining without permission then appealing judgement when caught:
https://www.ntc.blm.gov/krc/uploads/205/138IBLA308%20TOGNONI%20GRAVEL%20DEPOSITS%203-6-1997.pdf
http://www.edgewiseblog.com/mjh/theirs/more-about-the-history-around-the-monticello-box/
David Tognoni Speaks at Public Meeting in Deming:
Notable Predecessor:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Ferlini
Examples of Small Towns With Big Metal Industries (albeit non-Magnesium):
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/aug/12/environment.pollution
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henderson,_Nevada#History
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PEPCON_disaster
12,000 WWII bombardier cadets trained at Deming airfield
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deming_Municipal_Airport#World_War_II