I'm hopeful that this issue can be resolved once and for all....

I'm hopeful that this issue can be resolved once and for all. The environmentalists have run a good campaign, but progress is progress, and the region needs some jobs. Nowerdays it's much much easier to run a "clean mine" with low environmental impact, given the technologies now available.
Small fact for the day: The area in which the mine is located has actually only fairly recently (1970's) been designated as national park, not because of the wonderful variety of wildlife on display as in other parts of the park, but because the government of the day needed to evacuate human habitation from the area in order to eradicate the Tetse fly. So, in fact, this part of the ground was never regarded as of national wildlife importance, but exactly the opposite )