Web posted
Friday, September 30, 2005
Even best-case scenario not good for Pebble Mine
Having lived through the entire life cycle of five large open pit mines in Montana, all of which caused serious water pollution problems, I thought Alaskans should compare the best and worst case scenarios for the proposed Pebble mine.
The best case scenario: The plan is to put a mine complex the size of Manhattan, New York (18 square miles),in a pristine location, dig up 4 billion tons of ore, concentrate it with a toxic chemical like cyanide, dump those billions of tons of toxic sludge in a toxic sludge lagoon of 6 to 8 square miles and install a water decontamination facility that will have to remain operational for many generations. The “plan” is to have taxpayers pay for 75 miles of new roads across numerous virgin salmon spawning streams. The massive gaping “pit” will simply remain open, forever. Northern Dynasty will contribute almost nothing to state coffers. When the mine closes, any economic boom will vaporize, but the scars of industrialization will remain. That was the “good” news. ΚΚ
A (partial) worst case scenario: Based on the sad, abysmal experience of large, modern day mines elsewhere, the toxic sludge lagoon will leak, or even rupture (earthquakes, floods), poisoning the world’s most valuable salmon spawning district and indigenous Alaskans’ subsistence fishery. If Northern Dyansty’s profit margin drops, they may simply declare bankruptcy and leave, forcing the state to pay for cleaning up the mess that the posted bonds don’t cover. (A much smaller, failed mine in Colorado will cost taxpayers more than 325 million dollars).
Either way, Alaska citizens, their fish, wildlife and landscape will bear all the risk and permanent damage, while a foreign corporation and it’s shareholders will take take the lion’s share of any profit.
Raymond D. Fowler
Homer
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