Think About It…….                                                                                                                September 14, 2011

Alaska’s massive Pebble copper, gold and molybdenum deposit is getting closer to the permitting phase, but it is still an exploration project.  Alaskans opposed to Pebble and Alaskans supporting the development and operation of Pebble Mine are spending millions of dollars trying to convince Alaskans to take a position on the project.

Northern Dynasty and Anglo American are joint venture partners in the exploration of the Pebble project which if developed will be one of the largest open-pit mines in the world;  two miles wide, 2000 feet deep and covering an area of 28 square miles. In a preliminary study released earlier this year, Northern Dynasty outlined 25 year, 45 year and 78 year options for production and released their expenditures which ranged from $30 million to $140 million for the past several years plus the $91 million they are spending this year on environmental studies and assessment of potential. Pebble must apply for and receive 67 state and federal permits in order to begin mining and production of the proposed mine.

Permitting will take at least three more years and construction is expected to take four years which places an operational date for the mine out at least seven  to nine years with no unexpected hurdles in their path.

The mine will produce gold, copper and molybdenum, a metal used to harden steel. To process the ore, a technique known as flotation will be used.  The rock is crushed into powder and then a detergent-like substance is used to separate the metal from all the waste material.

After the metals are separated, two types of tailings would remain. About 85 percent is benign, but the remainder can become acidic if exposed to oxygen. The company is planning a lined, earthquake-proof facility to deal with all the tailings.

The project is located in a remote area about 16 miles from Illiamna village and about 12 miles from the village of Nondalton.  It is a bleak treeless landscape with lots of rock and broken rock interspersed with small patches of tundra and occasional alder and willow type bushes.

In addition to the mine and processing facilities the company will need to build 86 miles of road, a pipeline to pump the metal slurry to a deep-water port in Cook Inlet, sewer and water treatment plants and infrastructure to power the project’s need more electric power than is ever used by the entire Kenai Peninsula.

Economic benefits of the Pebble Mine will benefit Alaskan for more than fifty years:  Over 2000 construction jobs four years and over 1000 permanent jobs plus hundreds of million dollars for supply and service contracts each year…. Tens of millions in taxes for both local communities and the State of Alaska……A new port at Iniskin Bay on Cook Inlet will lower transportation costs for goods and services to many rural communities on Lake Illiamna and Lake Clark. Additional reliable power generation and transmission would create  local revenue for new schools and health facilities in those same villages. No doubt a high percentage of the labor force will live and work right here on the Kenai Peninsula, making for a thriving economy.

Alaska’s stringent clean water regulations, environmental laws and proven clean water mines like Red Dog, Ft. Knox, Usibelli, Donlin Creek, Greens Creek , Kensington and Pogo Mine obviously should put pollution fears to rest. If we can demand responsible mining technologies that actively support a healthy, respectful and sustainable co-existence with the Bristol Bay Fishery and the Pebble Mine, let’s bring it on!

Think About It!      JCD    09-14-2011

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