NO Pebble Mine

Pebble Mine: Proposed Open Pit Gold Mining in Southwestern Alaska

Having worked as geologists in the Rockies, we had the opportunity to see the Bingham mine in Utah. Currently, it is the largest open pit copper & gold mine in the world, owned and operated by the Rio Tinto Mining Company. Carved out of the mountains of Utah, it is over 0.75 miles (1.2 km) deep, 2.5 miles (4 km) wide, and covers 1,900 acres (7.7 km²). It is visible in satellite pictures. Flying into Salt Lake City, you can see it and the mountains of waste piles as a result of the continuous excavation. This is the gold source for a lot of the gold jewelry sold in the United States today.

Now, in southwestern Alaska, there is a proposal to excavate an even BIGGER pit for gold at the headwaters of Bristol Bay, Alaska. The effects of mine tailings and leaching of deadly arsenides and sulphides on this watershed would prove catastrophic to the total natural environment, salmon fishing industry and the many native Alaskan villages in this area. Permits were made for the mining operation by Northern Dynasty Mines and Anglo America.

According to the Alaska Dept of Natural Resources website “Pebble consists of two contiguous deposits. Pebble West is a near surface resource of approximately 4.1 billion metric tons that, if developed, would likely be mined by conventional open-pit mining techniques. Pebble East is significantly deeper than Pebble West and contains generally higher grade ore. Its size is currently estimated at 3.4 billion metric tons. If developed, Pebble East would probably be mined via bulk tonnage underground mining methods.”

Some of the jewelers opposing the Pebble Mine include: Tiffany & Co., Ben Bridge Jewelers, Helzberg Diamonds, Leber Jewelers and Fortunoff, along with many Alaska independent jewelers. We oppose this mining operation and suggest going to this website to learn more: http://www.renewableresourcescoalition.org