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Canadian mining company faces opposition in Alaska
Posted by Montreal Environment in Mining
Northern Dynasty Minerals, a Canadian company based in Vancouver, BC. is proposing to build one of the world’s largest copper and gold mine in Alaska. The claim covers two adjacent areas, Pebble West and Pebble East, in what is know as the Pebble Mine. Pebble West would be the largest open pit (2 miles wide) mine in North America, with an additional large underground block caving mine at Pebble East. The mine requires more than 250 megawatts of power, which is more electricity than is currently used by the entire Kenai Peninsula. This energy would be derived from 4 planned dams in the area, one of which would be larger than the Tree Gorges Dam in China. The mine would produce gold, copper, and molybdenum from low grade ores, with an estimated $150 to $200 billion worth of minerals in the ground.
Local Alaskan Native groups oppose the project for its long-term negative environmental impacts that it would cause. The Bristol Bay area is already a hot bed for mineral claims and existing mining projects. With the help of Earthworks, a Washington-based environmental group, the Native communities are launching an opposition campaign aiming potential gold buyers. A new Ad campaign aiming to convince jewelers to boycott gold from the proposed mine will run in the January, February and March issues of the National Jeweler, an industry paper:
“We need your help. Bristol Bay is the wrong place for a gold mine. No responsible jeweler would knowingly buy gold mined there.”
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