Al Gore and the Zinc Mine

Tenn. mine enriched Gore, scarred land

Excerpt:

Al Gore has profited from zinc mining that has released millions of pounds of potentially toxic substances near his farmstead, but there is no evidence the mine has caused serious damage to the environment in the area or threatened the health of his neighbors.

Two massive white mountains of leftover rock waste are evidence of three decades of mining that earned Gore more than $500,000 in royalty payments for the mineral rights to his property.

Albert Gore Jr.: Occidental and Oriental Connections

Excerpt:

On his 1998 tax returns under "supplemental income," Vice President Al Gore lists a $20,000 royalty payment from Union Zinc Inc. for the right to mine zinc from his 88-acre farm here in the verdant hills of the Cumberland River valley. In the 25 years he has held the zinc lease, Mr. Gore has earned more than $450,000.

Comment: I post this to highlight the hypocrisy of the political elite who chide the rest of us to love the planet and hug a tree while they prosper from the devastation of the land.