Kemess North Mine: a lesson for Alaska and the Pebble Mine

One more thought on the Pebble Mine before we leave it to the people of Alaska to vote on 26 August on the mine’s future.   

Earlier this year British Columbia rejected a new mine they decided was not worth having.  Perhaps Alaskans should consider the reasons why BC rejected the Kemess North Mine. 

Some will tell you that BC rejected the mine because it would have affected a lake which native peoples consider sacred.  The 246-page report leading to rejection of the mine examines the issue of the sacred lake, but I contend the report rejects the mine for a far more cogent reason. 

Quite simply, the mine would have been in operation for ten years, and thereafter—in perpetuity—would have involved treatment of acid mine drainage.  The report concludes that the cost of perpertual water treatment simply did no justify the income derived from ten years of mining. 

Now at Pebble I have seen nothing about how long the mine woud operate.  I have seen nothing about how long after cessation of mining water treatment would be required.  Let us assume the mine has an effective life of fifty years.  I bet my bottom dollar it will be necessary to treat seepage from the closed mine site for ever. 

So in this case we have a time ratio of fifty years to infinity as compared to ten years to infinity at Kemess.  Does this “bigger” ratio make for a sensible project?  I leave that to Alaskans to decide. 

Of course if Alaskans can get a sufficient guarantee from Anglo American to fund perpetual mine seepage, they might consider letting them mine.  I can conceive of no way to get a perpetual bond from a company. Inevitably the state and its taxpayers will have to pay.  I suppose if Anglo hands over all the Anglo diamond mines to the State of Alaska, the taxpayer could be off the hook—diamonds will, I am sure, be forever popular. 

Thus my advice (tongue in cheek to those who e-mail me accusing me of taking sides): 

Get possession of all Anglo’s diamond mine interests.

Let ‘em mine Pebble.

Then in fifty-one years time use the money from the diamond mines to fund perpetual mine seepage water treatment.

That way you can keep the fishing jobs for ever.  You can have the mining jobs for fifty years.  And from year fifty-one onwards you have both fishing and water treatment jobs.  And you can give your ladies blood-free diamonds.