Alaska's wild salmon run each summer has to be one of the most amazing and beautiful spectacles on Earth. From May through August millions of King, Pink, Chum, Silver, and the gorgeous (and delicious) Red/Sockeye salmon complete their life's migrations from tiny fry, out to sea for two to three years, and back to the very stream from which they emerged. The Bristol Bay watershed is home to the world's largest Sockeye salmon run, is a dominant habitat for the four other Alaskan salmon species, and hosts several of the world's most pristine and productive trout fishing streams.
Canadian company Northern Dynasty and British company Anglo American, partners in developing the "Pebble Mine" project, are seeking approval to develop the largest open-pit gold, copper, and molybdenum "mining district" in North America, and possibly the world. If it is approved, the mine will sit directly above the headwaters of the Bristol Bay watershed.
Details below~~
Environment
The Pebble Mine "mining complex" (hereinafter "Pebble Mine") has gained a lot of attention within the state of Alaska, but hasn't generated much discussion beyond. What is at stake is nothing less than the entire Sockeye salmon fishery, millions of the remaining four species of Alaska salmon, countless aquatic and land mammals, birds, and fish, and the predominant source of income for thousands of Alaska Natives and commercial fishermen. It is speculated that "the continent's biggest deposit could produce more gold than the Klondike gold rush -- and put the world's largest salmon fishery out of business."
Pebble Mine is located on the Alaska Peninsula, a remote southwestern paradise that is accessible only by air or boat. It's helpful to begin with this map and get a good look at the Bristol Bay watershed and the surrounding landscape. To the east is the "Wild and Scenic" Tlikakila River, which feeds into Lake Clark National Park and Reserve. To the southeast is Lake Iliamna, and to the south you will see the amazing Katmai National Park and Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, the result of the largest volcanic blast of the 20th century from Novarupta in 1912. To the southwest and west lie the watersheds of the Nushagak River drainage, the Mulchatna River, and the Kvichak River, which are the main watersheds feeding the salmon runs of Bristol Bay.
Pebble Mine's proposed permit areas are on state lands which are "designated for mineral exploration and development,." The first of possibly many open pits would be about 2 miles wide and approximately 2,000 feet deep. The mining district would (ie, certainly more mines in the area eventually, if it goes through) cover nearly 1,000 square miles, as seen in the map above. Open pit gold mines typically use a cyanide extraction process which contaminates and sterilizes aquatic life, as well as leaches toxic mineral byproducts into the soil and water.
Here is the kicker: There will be so much toxic waste and tailings generated from cyanide gold extraction that Northern Dynasty will have to build one of the largest dams in the world in order to contain the waste. If built, the dam will be bigger than the Three Gorges Dam in China. Dams are always made with concrete and reinforced steel to keep them from eroding, but this dam will be different. Instead of concrete it will be made from dirt. That's right, holding back millions of tons of toxic waste will be a dam made of easily erodable earth stretching 740 feet high and 4.3 miles long. This proposed ginormous dam of toxic chemicals couldn't be situated in a more dangerous spot: the Alaska Peninsula composes part of the Ring of Fire, thus the dam will be within 200 miles of at least five active volcanoes (Spur, Redoubt, Illiamna, Augustine, and Katmai), and will be in one of the most active earthquake zones in the world.
"If Pebble’s poisons were to leach into nearby rivers, it could be devastating not only to the fish but to all the creatures that rely on them—from grizzly bears and bald eagles on up to native hunter-gatherers and lodge owners." Pollution in the watershed will also harm mammals such as moose, wolves, beaver, lynx, voles and other rodent species, hundreds of bird species, all of which contribute significantly to the Bristol Bay watershed ecosystem.
Most mines, if not all, are reported to signifiantly damage their surrounding ecosystems.
--76 percent of mines exceed groundwater or surface water quality standards
--93 percent of mines that are near groundwater and have elevated potential for acid drainage or contaminant leaching exceeded water quality standards
--85 percent of mines that are near surface water and have elevated potential for acid drainage or contaminant leaching exceeded water quality standards
Other interesting links can be found here, here, here, and here.
Salmon, Native Communities, and Alaska Economy
The mine will have a very destructive impact on Native communities who subsist on the ecology of the watersheds, commercial fishing, sport fishing, and tourism. Commercial salmon fishing in Bristol Bay accounts for a large percentage of the Alaskan economy: approximately $400 million annually and 12,500 jobs (although some economic information regarding salmon is due for an update from 1993--see reference and link below). One need only look back to the Valdez spill to study the devastating impact the depleted salmon of Prince William Sound had on Native communities in that area and around the state.
The Pacific Salmon Commission, the entity created after the Pacific Salmon Treaty between Canada and U.S. was created to manage Pacific salmon, reports:
Salmon play an important role in the social and economic fabric of North America's Pacific coast. Along with a cultural and historical value intricately woven into the society, the economic value of the salmon has a tremendous impact on the quality of life.
Tribal groups and First Nations of the region depend upon the Pacific Salmon in almost every facet of their existence. The fish hold a central place in the ceremonial, subsistence and commercial aspects of these people's lives.
Each year the commercial and recreational salmon fisheries are worth millions of dollars to the economies of both the United States and Canada.
The impact of the Pacific salmon fisheries can be seen in the thousands of jobs and scores of industries they support. A partial list of fishing-dependent businesses, [many of them Native-run], would include marina operations, fish processing industries, transportation, fuel sales, boat building and repair, retail fish sales, tackle manufacturers and distributors, hotels, restaurants and resorts. The Pacific Salmon Treaty provides strong assurance of a more stable and prosperous future for many such enterprises.
Because of the inevitable irreparable harm on the environment the mine and mining district will have, Alaska natives overwhelmingly oppose the entire project. In response to misleading PR on the part of the Pebble Mine president claiming there is "strong" Native support, the Bristol Bay Native Corporation board of directors said "an official retraction and clarification statement from (Northern Dynasty) is in order." Further, the Alaska Inter-Tribal Council drafted a resolution in opposition to Pebble Mine on the basis of ancestral lands, subsistence, and for future generations. In a poll taken from the Native communities around Alaska, an average of 70 percent opposed the mine.
Opposition to the proposal is being led by a coalition of local native groups (such as the Bristol Bay Native Association and Nunumta Aulukestai), commercial and sport fishing organizations (such as the Alaska Independent Fishermen's Marketing Association and the Alaska Wilderness Recreation and Tourism Association), and environmental groups (such as American Rivers, Trout Unlimited, and the Renewable Resources Coalition). Senator Ted Stevens, a strong proponent of other resource extraction projects, has expressed his opposition to the Pebble proposal.
The flyfishing community is one of the most vocal oppnents of Pebble Mine. Sport fishing statistics are old, but will be updated this year:
The last comprehensive study was conducted by the University of Alaska Anchorage's Institute of Social and Economic Research. The institute surveyed 1,355 Alaskans and 4,278 nonresidents, and estimated sport anglers spent $540 million in the state in 1993, directly creating 6,635 jobs....The 2001 version estimated anglers over 16 spent $537 million in Alaska.
This is what the fly fishing industry had to say:
"Any person or company that takes an action which would diminish this fishery commits a crime against each of us, and against the people and natural resources of Alaska," thundered R.P. Van Gytenbeek, president of the Federation of Fly Fishers.
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Profit
This story follows a common theme in environmental justice: a foreign entity obtains access to natural resources and fragile ecosystems, proceeds to mutilate the surrounding ecosystems to gain access to resources, and then sells the resources to another country. (Sound familiar?) This particular motherlode of gold and copper will probably go to China.
The mining company, Canadian-based Northern Dynasty Minerals, is hoping its proposed Pebble Mine will prove to be the richest of its kind in the world, with billions of dollars in copper and gold just waiting to be dug up. It could be perfectly timed for the industrial boom in China. NPR
Sustained increases in metal prices, driven in part by growing demand from China, have triggered a sharp increase in the number of new mines and mine expansions being proposed in the United States. New mining claims filed in 2006 for mines on federal public lands are on track to more than quadruple since 2002. Hook and Bullet
This will take several years, as the permitting process has hit some snags. Here is a breakdown of steps for approval.
NDM is currently conducting a deep drilling program to further explore the Pebble East Deposit and upgrade its resource classification. The company has stated that it expects to finalize its proposed mine development plan and apply for development permits no sooner than late 2008 or 2009.
The submittal of development applications will require development of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The NEPA process will be a multi-year federal effort that mandates multiple opportunities for formal public comment and agency review. The Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Office of Project Management and Permitting, is responsible for coordinating the state permitting process.
Although there are no formal public meetings planned by state or federal agencies prior to submittal of the permit applications, state agency staff are in the process of meeting with communities, local government officials, and non-governmental organizations to discuss the project.
In conjunction with the ongoing exploration activities, NDM is collecting baseline environmental data for the project area. State and federal agencies are providing guidance to NDM for this data collection effort. NDM has submitted a Draft Environmental Baseline Studies Plan, which is currently being reviewed by agencies.
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In summary, although Pebble Mine is not a sure thing yet, they have recently secured a place on the Toronto Stock Exchange. A list of Northern Dynasty's press releases, give a good synopsis of their progress. Alaska State Rep. Bryce Edgmon, D-Dillingham, has proposed legislation that would place Bristol Bay salmon above Northern Dynasty profits, and would honor "traditional uses" such as drinking water and seafood processing, and "...would prohibit anyone from withdrawing or polluting water in the drainages of five salmon-rich Bristol Bay rivers: the Nushagak, Kvichak, Naknek, Egegik and Ugashik."
The permitting process has been a struggle, with Native entities, commercial fishing industry, sport fishing industry, and tourist industry challenging Northern Dynasty's ability to move forward. Since the potential for profits is so huge and the potential for environmental and economic damage is so great, the battle will surely continue and escalate.
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If you have a few moments, here is what you can do:
- Get the word out--this is not getting the attention it deserves or requires in order to thwart the application/proposal process, which is believed to be weighted heavily toward allowing the mine to go forward. Write letters to the editor, community newsletters, blogs. Write to Al Gore and tell him your concerns about this project:
Honorable Al Gore
2100 West End Avenue
Suite 620 Nashville, TN 37203
- Alert your Congress-critters to put pressure on Alaska's other Senator (Lisa Murkowski) and Rep (Don Young).
- Call Lisa Murkowski (202-224-6665), Ted Stevens (202-224-3004), and Don Young (202-225-5765) and tell them that as a visitor or future visitor to Alaska and a fellow citizen to the Natives and commercial fishermen who would be affected, a consumer of wild Alaska salmon, and a lover of nature, you are appalled about Pebble Mine and particularly the earth dam(s). If you are inclined, you could tell them that you will not visit the state of Alaska if the mine goes through, and you will tell everyone you know to do the same. (Tourism is huge in Alaska and affects lawmakers bigtime.)
- Read reports by and support the Bristol Bay Alliance, Renewable Resources Coalition, American Rivers, the Sierra Club, Trout Unlimited, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
- The Anchorage Daily Newsonline runs articles almost daily on the Pebble Mine project, if you want to keep abreast of the situation.
- An excellent scholarly research article can be found here:"The Great Salmon Run: Competition Between Wild and Farmed Salmon" submitted to the UAA Institute of Social and Economic Research.
Salmon art at top of page is from the Mother Jones article, "The Midas Touch."(courtesy of Photobucket)
Thanks for reading~~
Namaste,
RC
[First diary rescue! Thank you SusanG and whomever may have nominated this diary].