The gigantic Pebble copper and gold prospect in Southwest Alaska is one of the touchiest topics in Alaska today.
In this blog, I'll track news that is significant or interesting about the Pebble project. I'll also try to generate discussion and information sharing about some of the claims and counterclaims about the project, and mining in general.
Please keep your comments courteous and on topic. If you violate the ADN comment policy, your posts will be deleted.
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About Elizabeth Bluemink ebluemink@adn.com
I've been writing about mining in Alaska since 2004 and without a doubt, it is one of the most interesting topics that I cover at the Daily News. I've been a newspaper reporter for the past 10 years. In the Deep South, I specialized in reporting about environmental conflicts and pollution cleanups. For two years, I covered commercial fishing, mining and logging in Southeast Alaska. In my current job as a Daily News business reporter, I write about mining, tourism, Native corporations and other businesses.
Pebble doles out grant money - 11/9/2009 4:41 pm
Hardrock mineral exploration, 07-09 statistics - 11/9/2009 2:12 pm
Diocese takes stance on water pollution - 10/23/2009 6:21 pm
Lots of Pebble-related news - 10/23/2009 5:02 pm
Pebble poll results - 9/22/2009 9:57 am
Pebble Update - 9/21/2009 1:06 pm
Supreme Court on Ballot Measure 4 - 9/18/2009 4:40 pm
Polling on Pebble - 9/18/2009 1:01 pm
Anglo exec moves up Forbes' most powerful women list - 8/19/2009 9:16 pm
Federal regulators give nod to Kensington - 8/14/2009 4:06 pm
Sockeye salmon meltdown - 8/13/2009 4:27 pm
Vacationing at old copper mines - 8/13/2009 2:19 pm
Maintaining water for fish - 8/10/2009 1:44 pm
Bicycling against Pebble - 8/7/2009 7:13 pm
Anglo profits slide - 8/1/2009 4:34 pm
Pebble says no dumping in Iliamna Lake - 7/30/2009 11:38 am
Pebble lawsuit: the cutting room floor - 7/30/2009 9:48 am
State rebuffs petition to dismiss charges against mine proponents - 7/28/2009 5:09 pm
Feds review new financial assurances for mines - 7/22/2009 6:27 pm
Anglo American has new chairman - 7/22/2009 3:40 pm
Pebble Blog lives again - 7/22/2009 3:20 pm
Pebble Blog on hiatus - 7/10/2009 11:09 am
NOVEMBER 9, 2009 - 4:41 PM
The Pebble Fund, a charitable fund created by the companies trying to develop the proposed mine, recently announced it is giving $600,000 to 18 groups this winter.
The Pebble Partnership says the funding demonstrates its commitment to providing benefits the region where it hopes to build the massive mine, but the foes of Pebble say the money is an attempt to buy people's support.
In the latest round of giving, the biggest dollar-amount recipient was the city of Nondalton, where some tribal leaders oppose Pebble (The city and tribal council co-signed an anti-Pebble resolution in 2005). The fund previously awarded $1 million to 33 groups last March. A third cycle of awards is expected in the spring. Here's the details:
NOVEMBER 9, 2009 - 2:12 PM
I wrote this story appearing in today's paper about the recent uptick in gold production in Alaska.
While I worked on that story last week, I was curious, too, about hardrock mineral exploration, so I asked some state officials to give me stats showing whether it's been up or down over the last few years. That data is below. As faithful Pebble Blog readers know, there is a lawsuit in state court right now claiming the state's current exploration permit process violates the state constitution. Will that lawsuit put a damper on next year's exploration? That's hard to say right now, because key rulings in the case are still pending. We'll at least know about how many companies applied to explore in 2010 by the end of the first quarter of the year.
OCTOBER 23, 2009 - 6:21 PM
Here's a resolution that was approved by the Orthodox Diocese of Alaska at its annual Assembly in Anchorage this week.
Resolution of the Assembly of the Orthodox Diocese of Sitka, Anchorage and Alaska Concerning the Sanctity of the Earth and the Responsibility all Alaskan Native People serve as its Guardians and Protectors
Whereas, according to the traditions and teachings of Alaska Native peoples, the Earth and the whole creation have always been perceived and experienced as filled with the sacred presence of Life, and
Whereas, historically Alaska Native peoples have approached all living and life-sustaining elements with reverence and respect, and
OCTOBER 23, 2009 - 5:02 PM
Here's a recap of recent events:
* A state judge recently declined to dismiss most of the counts in a lawsuit attempting to overturn the Bristol Bay land-use plan: Read more.
* Pebble opponents flocked to Capitol Hill this week to lobby for wild salmon and against the proposed mine: Read more at fixed link.
* The Alaska State Chamber of Commerce gave Pebble executive John Shively its 'Alaskan of the Year' award: Read more.
SEPTEMBER 22, 2009 - 9:57 AM
Nunamta Aulukestai, a Bristol Bay non-profit opposed to Pebble, today released a poll it commissioned about the proposed mine. I'm posting its announcement below. Previous polls or surveys relating to Pebble have been conducted by Bristol Bay Native Corp., the Alaska House Finance Committee, Northern Dynasty Minerals (a 2007 Dittman poll that was never published) and others.
Anchorage, Alaska – A new poll released today finds an overwhelming majority of Bristol Bay residents strongly prefer their subsistence lifestyle to the promise of jobs at the proposed Pebble Mine.
The poll, which is the most in-depth survey of local Alaska Natives’ opinion on the Pebble Mine, found that 79 percent of respondents believe the mine, located in the headwaters of two of the region’s largest salmon-spawning rivers, would damage Bristol Bay’s wild salmon fishery – a key resource that many residents depend on for income and food.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 - 1:06 PM
Last week, Sean Magee, a Northern Dynasty Minerals executive, gave a Pebble project overview to the Denver Gold Forum, an annual meeting of precious-metal investors.
You can listen to it here or read the Powerpoint here.
Nothing in the presentation is breaking news, but here are the main points that Magee shared:
* Eight alternatives are being looked at on how to develop Pebble.
SEPTEMBER 18, 2009 - 4:40 PM
Today, the Alaska Supreme Court published a 40-page opinion backing up its ruling last July to allow Ballot Measure 4 on the ballot.
Wow, that took a while.
You can read the opinion here.
SEPTEMBER 18, 2009 - 1:01 PM
Fyi, a new poll to be released next week.
The following is from a press release I received today:
New research into Bristol Bay residents’ opinions about the Pebble mine project and mineral development in the region will be released this Tuesday, September 22.
The poll is one of the most in-depth surveys of local Bristol Bay residents ever undertaken. Nunamta Aulukestai (Caretakers of our Land), a coalition of eight village corporations, commissioned the poll conducted by Anchorage-based Craciun Research.
Also on Tuesday, the local Alaska Native leaders and commercial fishermen who met with Anglo American executives in London last April will take steps to ensure that the company’s CEO Cynthia Carroll and former board chairman Sir Mark Moody adhere to commitments made to local communities.
AUGUST 19, 2009 - 9:16 PM
Forbes Magazine has published its annual list of the world's 100 most powerful women.
Cynthia Carroll, chief executive of Pebble stakeholder Anglo American, has moved up the list to the #4 slot. Forbes listed her as the world's fifth most powerful woman last year.
Forbes' list rankings are a combination of two scores: visibility--by press mentions--and the size of the organization or country these women lead, the magazine says.
AUGUST 14, 2009 - 4:06 PM
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers today reapproved the permit allowing the Kensington gold mine near Juneau to put its rock waste into a natural lake.
Another federal agency, the Environmental Protection Agency had weighed in recently, asking the Corps to consider big changes to the permit, which was recently deemed legal by the U.S. Supreme Court after a lengthy court battle between the mine, the state, federal agencies, and several Southeast Alaska conservation groups opposed to the permit.
The Corps said it received more than 8,000 comments before it reissued the permit with some minor modifications. Alaska's Congressional delegation recently weighed in strongly in favor of the lake disposal plan.
AUGUST 13, 2009 - 4:27 PM
British Columbia's Fraser River, which has large but troubled salmon runs, is occasionally invoked in the debate over Pebble. Hard-rock mining doesn't appear to play a significant role in the Fraser's problems but it's worth pointing out that the river is having another very bad year.
I'm posting a link to and a blurb from reporter Mark Hume's story in Canada's Globe and Mail today:
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The Fraser River is experiencing one of the biggest salmon disasters in recent history with more than nine million sockeye vanishing.
AUGUST 13, 2009 - 2:19 PM
I thought I'd share with blog readers a story pitch that I received from the Copper Development Association, which promotes all aspects of the copper industry, from mining to manufacturing.
Yes, I realize, some of you will view vacationing at a mine as a good thing, others not so much.
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Travel to Copper Towns, USA
Beautiful Scenery & Fascinating History for the Whole Family
NEW YORK – Aug. 13, 2009 – Looking for a great vacation spot? From Alaska to Virginia, take a look at the towns that grew up around the discovery of copper, the mineral that helped build America, according to the Copper Development Association.
AUGUST 10, 2009 - 1:44 PM
Here's an interesting story published in the Chilkat Valley News last week that sheds some light on how state regulators are interpreting their duty to protect fish habitat. It may trigger some blog readers' reflection on the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's role in maintaining adequate water for fish in the Bristol Bay region.
Here's the lede of the story:
Mining groups, a tribal organization, and some residents say they are concerned about an application by state Department of Fish and Game to appropriate minimum water flow levels in the Klehini River to maintain fish habitat.
AUGUST 7, 2009 - 7:13 PM
Here's an announcement from Trout Unlimited, one of the non-profit organizations fighting the Pebble project.
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Two brothers are bicycling from Alaska to Argentina to draw attention to Bristol Bay wild salmon and the threat the fishery faces from a proposed open-pit copper and gold mine.
Seth and Parker Berling, of San Francisco and San Diego, Calif., left Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in early July to begin a 17,000-mile journey to Tierra del Fuego, at the southernmost tip of South America. The Berling brothers are making the trip to raise awareness about the proposed Pebble mine and how it could harm the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery, located in Southwest Alaska’s Bristol Bay. The Pebble deposit is located in the headwaters of the Nushagak and Kvichak Rivers, two of the major salmon-producing rivers of Bristol Bay. If developed, Pebble would be one of the world’s largest open-pit mines. A diverse coalition of commercial and sport fishermen, Alaska Natives, lodge owners, guides, outfitters, scientists and others say the project is likely to expose the region to acid mine drainage, industrial discharges and habitat destruction.
AUGUST 1, 2009 - 4:34 PM
Anglo American, the London-based company investing millions to develop Pebble, reported this week that its profits are down over 31 percent for the first half of 2009.
Here's the Associated Press story:
LONDON — Mining company Anglo American PLC said Friday that net profit in the first half of the year fell by 31 percent as earnings from platinum, diamonds and industrial minerals slumped amid the global recession.
The company said net profit for the period was $2.97 billion, compared to $4.28 billion a year earlier. Revenue was down 38 percent to 11.1 billion.
"Anglo American's performance was impacted by the sharp declines in commodity prices against the prior year and anticipated reductions in volumes, partially offset by exchange rate benefits compared to the first half of 2008," said Cynthia Carroll, the company's chief executive.
JULY 30, 2009 - 11:38 AM
A few weeks ago, a Bristol Bay resident wrote the following words in a Compass piece in the ADN:
Pebble Mine Development Concept 12 envisions deep-water storage of mine waste in Lake Iliamna, Alaska's largest lake and some the world's most important wild sockeye salmon habitat. The Pebble developers have yet to settle on a mine plan, so the public has no way of knowing if they still want to sacrifice Lake Iliamna or if they have their eye on one of the other countless lakes in this watershed.
I've talked to the Pebble people several times in recent years about this concept; each time they have said it was nothing more than an engineering concept and they weren't spending their time analyzing it. (Fyi - Some people might not realize that Pebble could conceivably ask for Corps of Engineers permission to fill in a lake with clean dirt or rock, and then put the mining waste on top of the former lake, without relying on the recent Kensington ruling.)
JULY 30, 2009 - 9:48 AM
A coalition of Pebble opponents on Wednesday filed a lawsuit to block the project's exploration and water use permits. You can read the story I wrote about it here.
In the rush to meet deadline, a few random details didn't make it into the story.
For example:
* There isn't any drilling occurring at the Pebble deposit right now (about 9 to 11 new holes were drilled in the spring), but the mining companies have told state regulators they hope to drill up to 37 holes this fall. That's if they aren't blocked by the lawsuit.
JULY 28, 2009 - 5:09 PM
In June, Anchorage political consultant Art Hackney filed charges of campaign law violations against three of the major organizations that sought to defeat Measure 4, last year's failed ballot initiative that sought more restrictions on water pollution discharges from hardrock mines. (See story.) At the time, Hackney was one of several Measure 4 proponents under investigation by APOC for their own alleged campaign law abuses related to Measure 4. That case is still ongoing.
But election regulators are taking a hard look at Hackney's complaint as well. The Alaska Public Offices Commission opened an investigation and oral arguments are scheduled for early August. This week, Alaska Attorney General Dan Sullivan, filed the state's opposition to recent requests by the Council of Alaska Producers, Kotzebue-based NANA and the Alaskans Against the Mining Shutdown to dismiss Hackney's complaint.
JULY 22, 2009 - 6:27 PM
The federal Environmental Protection Agency recently announced that it is making hardrock mines its chief priority for developing new financial assurance requirements for pollution cleanups. Other industries will be looked at later. A new EPA rule could be published as soon as spring 2011, the agency said.
Here's the agency's explanation, as provided in a press release:
"EPA decided to develop financial responsibility requirements for classes of facilities within the hardrock mining industry before it did so for other types of facilities. This conclusion is based upon those facilities’ sheer size; the enormous quantities of waste and other materials exposed to the environment; the wide range of hazardous substances released to the environment; the number of active hardrock mining facilities; the extent of environmental contamination, including the number of sites identified by EPA as needing cleanup under Superfund’s National Priorities List; and government expenditures, projected clean-up costs, and corporate structure and bankruptcy potential."
JULY 22, 2009 - 3:40 PM
Anglo American, the global mining giant providing most of the financial backing for the Pebble project, recently selected a new board chairman. The appointee is Sir John Parker, who is taking over for Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, who recently visited Alaska on a tour of the Pebble site and surrounding communities.
Here's a recent Associated Press story about Parker's appointment. I'm also attaching links to a few additional stories from other media outlets at the bottom of this post.
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LONDON (AP) - Mining company Anglo American PLC said Friday (July 10)that Sir John Parker has been chosen as its next chairman of the board, resisting pressure from the South African government to appoint a black executive.
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