Pebble Mine- Bristol Bay, Alaska

The Pebble Open Pit Gold & Copper Mine puts at risk the most spectacular and abundant ecosystem in North America.

The world's most productive wild salmon fishery is threatened with the proposed development of an open pit mining district at the headwaters of it's river drainages -- the Mulchatna/ Nushagak River drainage and the Newhalen / Kvichak River drainage, both of which feed into the renowned Bristol Bay. The proposed Pebble Mine, which would be the first of many, would include the largest dam in the world, larger than Three Gorges Dam in China, and made of earth not concrete, to hold back the toxic waste created in the mining process.

This is the premier fishing and wildlife area in all of Alaska and toxic by-products are an inevitable result of such large open pit mines. These spawning waters are the source of the most productive commercial and sport salmon fisheries in the world. See map. The land is the home ground for the 120,000 plus Mulchatna caribou herd, plus numerous moose, bear and other animals. Local native opposition to the proposed open pit Pebble Mine, and the proposed 1000 square mile mining district around it, is strong and has been registered at over 75% by one recent poll by Hellenthal and Associates. Some more recent polls show an even higher opposition to the mine by natives living in the area.

Many native groups have already voiced their opposition to the proposed Pebble mine, including the Inter-Tribal Council. To see a list of who opposes the mine and who is favor of the project, see The Pebble Scoreboard. Also see a thank you from the native village of Nondalton to former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens for his opposition to the mine. Commercial fishermen are also strongly opposed to the proposed mine. The position of U.S. Senators Begich and Murkowski regarding the proposed development of the mine is unclear.

The Bristol Bay Watershed is home to Alaska’s greatest wild salmon runs and its renewable natural resources contribute more than $400 million annually to Alaska’s economy. Much of the economic value of Bristol Bay’s wild salmon and trout is derived from the region’s reputation for pure clean water, healthy habitat, and pristine wilderness setting. The proposed Pebble Mine and Bristol Bay Mining District pose an unacceptable risk to Bristol Bay’s wild salmon ecosystem and economy and -- at the same time -- would provide very little economic benefit to all Alaskans.

Mining Taxes a Joke?
As Governor Hickel and the late Governor Jay Hammond have both observed, the hardrock mining industry is not paying its fair share for the purchase of mineral resources from the people of Alaska. In fact, according to an analysis commissioned by Rep. Paul Seaton (R-Homer) earlier this year, “Alaska's mining industry bears a light tax burden compared to Alaska's other high value resource industries. State revenue generally amounts to only about 7/10 of 1% of the mined resource value, while an additional 1% is paid to municipalities. State revenue from oil and gas amounts to about 20% of total production value, while an additional 2% is paid to municipalities.” Seaton’s analysis tells us that the oil and gas industry pays the state nearly 30 times more for a dollar of Alaskan resources than does the hardrock mining industry. This enormous discrepancy is not consistent with the Constitutional requirement that all resource development provide the “maximum benefit” to all Alaskans.

Applications for Mining Permits by Northern Dynasty.
Nearly 2,000 pages of mine plans and permit applications submitted to DNR by Pebble proponent Northern Dynasty in late 2006 show the direct destruction of salmon habitat, the withdrawal of all water from the upper reaches of Upper Talarik Creek and the South Fork Koktuli River, and the construction of some of the largest dams in the world right in the heart of the Bristol Bay Watershed. The presence of such industrial activity, coupled with the mining industry’s track record, pose an unacceptable risk to Bristol Bay’s wild salmon. The Canadian company Northern Dynasty has formed the "Pebble Partnership" with the British company Anglo-American to attempt to develop the project. Additional permit applications are anticipated for 2009.

This is not just about habitat preservation, but about government policies that go to the heart and soul of Alaska and Alaska's future. The rainbow trout, the Mulchatna herd of caribou, the arctic grayling, salmon of all species -- these are just a few of the creatures whose habitats and very existence are now in danger in the Bristol Bay watershed of Alaska. These animals and others, including humans, are dependant on the clean water of streams and rivers in the area for their basic survival. The threat extends to every fishing, hunting, and tourist business in Alaska that relies upon the pristine natural resources of Southwestern Alaska. Particularly at risk is commercial fishing in Bristol Bay which depends on Alaska's wild fish products being seen as pollutant free. See Alaska Independent Fishermans Marketing Association's letter to then Governor Murkowski asking him to stop the Pebble Mine. The impact on individual Alaskans will be equally substantial for those living and working in the area. According to the EPA the hardrock mining industry is the single largest source of toxic releases in the U.S. Mineral processing chemicals, including cyanide, and the mined minerals themselves can be highly toxic to salmon, trout, and people as well. Acid mine drainage, common and difficult to predict and control, poses an additional threat to resources downstream of metallic sulfide mines. The mining of metallic sulfide mineral deposits such as Pebble -- by open pit and underground methods alike -- has caused significant harm to clean water, fish habitat and regional economies around the world in recent years. If these mines are permitted by government policy, sport fishermen and hunters, subsistence fishermen and hunters, and property owners, among others, will all suffer irreparable economic and social damage in perpetuity.

The Alaska Large Mine Permitting Process.
Compounding these risks is the fact that our existing state and federal mine permitting processes are ineffective, highly biased, and have been significantly weakened in recent years. A new, peer reviewed scientific study of large mines permitted throughout the U.S. in recent years shows that the permitting process commonly predicts 100% compliance with clean water regulations but that this prediction has been wrong in 76% of cases reviewed (See http://hooknbullet.org/study.htm for more information.) Pebble mine supporters proudly tout the fact that Alaska has never denied a large mine permit application. To see why Alaskans do not trust the DNR permitting process for large mines, see what a former high ranking official of Alaska's Fish and Game Department said at a hearing on a proposal to create a fish refuge in Bristol Bay. Read his testimony which is entitiled the Myth of "Rigorous Permitting".

Recent changes in Alaska’s regulatory regime have significantly increased the risk that hardrock mining activity poses to water quality, fish habitat and Alaska’s reputation for pure water and healthy wild salmon. These changes include, but are not limited to, the Murkowski Administration’s decision to allow increased pollution of salmon spawning habitat under the guise of “mixing zones,” the elimination of the ADF&G Habitat Division, and the practice of allowing mining companies to pay for and oversee baseline environmental surveys and to pay the salaries of the state employees charged with reviewing permit applications.

Lance Trasky, former ADF&G Habitat Regional Division Supervisor for Bristol Bay for 26 years testified recently to the Board of Fisheries regarding the proposed Pebble Mine. His testimony included the following warning. “If mine permitting is allowed to proceed under current state and federal standards and permitting processes the very large scale mining of sulfide based copper ore in the Nushagak and Kvichak drainages will physically destroy thousands of acres of very high quality spawning and rearing habitat and over time will almost certainly seriously degrade fisheries habitat and fisheries production in downstream portions of these drainages.” For more information, on the history of how Alaska's pemitting process got flawed, see "Alaska's mine permitting process".

The proposed Pebble Mine and Bristol Bay Mining District pose an unacceptably high risk to Alaska’s greatest salmon producing region while promising an unconstitutionally low reward. Both the proposed Pebble Mine and Bristol Bay Mining District are opposed by a majority of the region’s residents and should not be allowed to proceed to development.

Northern Dynasty's Proposed Pebble Mine Plans.
Most recently, in 2006, Northern Dynasty began the permitting process by filing applications for water rights and for permits to build at least 5 incredibly large earthen dams on the North and South Fork of the Koktuli River at the headwaters of the Bristol Bay watershed. The proposed dams would be tailings settling ponds or in another words, toxic waste storage sites. The one earthen dam would be 740 feet high and 4.3 miles long. The other dam would be 700 feet high and 2.9 miles long. The larger dam would be higher than the Hoover Dam or the Grand Coulee Dam which are of course made of concrete. These proposed earthen dams are in one of the most active earthquake zones in Alaska. Please see the attached letter with specifics from Lake and Peninsula Borough to DNR requesting that all such applications be suspended. Clearly, if these applications for permits are approved it will only be a matter of time before a disaster will occur. To properly understand the threat to Alaska's most prolific ecosystem, we recommend studying a map of the area which will indicate the most unfortunate location for the proposed mine. As former Governor Jay Hammond said "I can't imagine a worse location for a mine of this type unless it was in my kitchen".

For more information, please see the RRC Executive Summary and other links contained on this website.