mining

Flathead Lake Biological Station researchers Erin Sexton (right) and Chris Sergeant watch spawning salmon in a groundwater channel of the mine-impacted Tulsequah River in British Columbia. (Courtesy Photo / Jonathan Moore, Simon Fraser University)

New paper sheds light on mining’s impact on salmon and transboundary watersheds

Decisions can have centuries of impact, according to researchers.

 

Gov. Mike Dunleavy, seen here at a Aug. 16, news conference, announced Thursday he was filing suit against the Biden administration for an Environmental Protection Agency decision to potentially protect Bristol Bay waters under the Clean Water Act. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire file)

Gov criticizes Biden admin over Bristol Bay review

The EPA is seeking to reinitiate the process of making a Clean Water Act determination to protect certain waters in Bristol Bay.

 

Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File Coeur Alaska will likely be able to expand their facilities at the Kensington Gold Mine including the tailing treatment facility, seen in this October 2019 photo, after the U.S. Forest Service announced it intends to approve the company’s proposal to extend the mine’s life by 10 years. Operations were expected to end in 2023 under a plan approved in 2005.

Forest Service set to approve Kensington expansion

Objections period is open.

 

Courtesy Photo | Environmental Protection Agency This Toxic Release Inventory map included in the Environmental Protection Agency’s annual TRI analysis shows facilities throughout the state that reported the release of toxic chemicals to the EPA. Releases include permitted releases and movement of waste rock.

EPA: Alaska led nation in toxic chemical release

Mining is a big reason why.

Courtesy Photo | Environmental Protection Agency This Toxic Release Inventory map included in the Environmental Protection Agency’s annual TRI analysis shows facilities throughout the state that reported the release of toxic chemicals to the EPA. Releases include permitted releases and movement of waste rock.
Judy Cavanaugh stands with others at a rally against the Pebble Mine in front of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s Juneau office on Tuesday. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Rally asks senators to stop permit process funding

Public comment period ends in days.

Judy Cavanaugh stands with others at a rally against the Pebble Mine in front of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s Juneau office on Tuesday. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Gayla Hoseth, 2nd Chief of Curyung Tribal Council and Director of Natural Resources at Bristol Bay Native Association, left, Norman Van Vactor, CEO of the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation, center, and former Alaska legislator Rick Halford, present at a press conference against thePebble Mine project on Monday, April 1, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Scientists: Pebble Mine study doesn’t account for all risks

Group says Army Corps study does not pass as credible science.

Gayla Hoseth, 2nd Chief of Curyung Tribal Council and Director of Natural Resources at Bristol Bay Native Association, left, Norman Van Vactor, CEO of the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation, center, and former Alaska legislator Rick Halford, present at a press conference against thePebble Mine project on Monday, April 1, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
An aerial shot of the Chilkat Lake taken during the making of “Rock, Paper, Fish.” (Courtesy Photo | Connor Gallagher)

Filmmaker talks digging into proposed Chilkat Valley mining project

‘Rock, Paper, Fish’ takes a skeptical, nuanced look at proposed Palmer Project.

An aerial shot of the Chilkat Lake taken during the making of “Rock, Paper, Fish.” (Courtesy Photo | Connor Gallagher)
Mark Hamilton, the vice president of external affairs for the Pebble Limited Partnership, speaks to a crowd gathered for a joint luncheon of the Kenai and Soldotna chambers of commerce on Wednesday, April 4, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. The Pebble Limited Partnership, which has been working on plans for a gold, copper and molybdenum mine in the Bristol Bay region for about a decade, recently applied to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a permit with scaled-back plans. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Pebble lays out smaller mine plan

The Pebble Limited Partnership is changing its plans and its tone as it continues its permitting process. The Pebble Mine, a gold, copper and molybdenum… Continue reading

Mark Hamilton, the vice president of external affairs for the Pebble Limited Partnership, speaks to a crowd gathered for a joint luncheon of the Kenai and Soldotna chambers of commerce on Wednesday, April 4, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. The Pebble Limited Partnership, which has been working on plans for a gold, copper and molybdenum mine in the Bristol Bay region for about a decade, recently applied to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a permit with scaled-back plans. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

DNR grants one of three Chuitna Citizens Coalition water reservations

Editor's note: This story has been changed to add additional information and to correct the year of CCC's lawsuit against DNR. The Alaska Department of… Continue reading

PacRim coal mine permitting suspension leaves some simmering debate

Although a plan to strip-mine coal from beneath the Chuitna River’s west Cook Inlet tributaries is done for the moment, elements of controversy may continue… Continue reading

Chuitna documentary to premier February 3

Two developments in the ongoing controversy over the proposed Chuitna coal project are expected to happen soon after one another. In the first weeks of… Continue reading

Photo Courtesy Damion Brook Kintz Ladd Landing near Tyonek, seen in September 2006, could be a future site for a coal export terminal for the Chuitna Coal Proect.

DNR hears arguments for Chuitna water rights

A small creek is causing big trouble for Chuitna mine developers and the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. The Alaska Department of Natural Resources, or… Continue reading

Photo Courtesy Damion Brook Kintz Ladd Landing near Tyonek, seen in September 2006, could be a future site for a coal export terminal for the Chuitna Coal Proect.

Chuitna Coal no longer seeking permits

As of March 31, the Delaware-based PacRim Coal “has suspended all permitting activities” related to its project to surface-mine coal from under the West Cook… Continue reading