mining

A simulated photo shows the tailings stack and other features of Hecla Greens Creek Mine under the final notice of decision for expanding the mine announced Thursday by the U.S Forest Service. The expansion will extend the life of the mine up to 18 years. (U.S. Forest Service)

Extending Greens Creek Mine production for 12 to 18 years gets final OK from Forest Service

Agency says there will also be more habitat protection measures and mine waste disposal capacity.

 

The lower Stikine River is seen in British Columbia, Canada, in an undated photo. (Photo by Marek Stefunko/Getty Images Plus)

Above Stikine River, Canadian government boosts huge mining project you’ve probably never heard of

Road goes along a major salmon bearing river that flows into Southeast Alaska near Wrangell.

 

An aerial view of part of Southeast Alaska’s Kensington gold mine. (James Brooks via Wikipedia under Creative Commons 2.0)

Dozens of fish died near the Kensington mine. Two months later, state regulators haven’t determined what killed them.

Scientists say circumstances suggest a water quality problem, but awaiting data from mine’s operator.

 

The Donlin Gold airstrip, with the camp at the far end on the right, is seen from the air on Aug. 11, 2022. The mine site is in the hilly terrain near Southwest Alaska’s winding Kuskokwim River. The mine won a key permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2018, but a federal judge ruled on Monday that the environmental study on which that permit was based was flawed because it failed to consider the impacts of a catastrophic dam failure. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

Federal judge faults environmental analysis for planned huge gold mine in Western Alaska

Regulators failed to consider impacts of a dam failure when issuing Donlin mine permit, judge rules.

The Donlin Gold airstrip, with the camp at the far end on the right, is seen from the air on Aug. 11, 2022. The mine site is in the hilly terrain near Southwest Alaska’s winding Kuskokwim River. The mine won a key permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2018, but a federal judge ruled on Monday that the environmental study on which that permit was based was flawed because it failed to consider the impacts of a catastrophic dam failure. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Robert Sisson (left), former commissioner of the International Joint Commission, presides over a panel discussion Wednesday during the third annual Transboundary Mining Conference at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Transboundary mining conference sees fears after natural and man-made disasters, hope after pacts

U.S., Canadian and tribal leaders gather in Juneau to seek way forward on decades-old disputes.

Robert Sisson (left), former commissioner of the International Joint Commission, presides over a panel discussion Wednesday during the third annual Transboundary Mining Conference at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Yago Jacob of Napaskiak, one of the Calista Corp. shareholders employed at the Donlin Gold project, holds up a sliced piece of a geological core on Aug. 11, 2022. Calista is the Native corporation that owns the mineral rights at the mine project. Donlin is one of eight large mine projects listed in a new report as being near development or in advanced exploration. Seven large Alaska mines currently are producing. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

Economic impacts of mining in Alaska include wages, taxes and career training, report says

Alaska’s mining industry supported 11,800 jobs and $1.1 billion in total wages in 2023, according to a report commissioned by the Alaska Miners Association and… Continue reading

Yago Jacob of Napaskiak, one of the Calista Corp. shareholders employed at the Donlin Gold project, holds up a sliced piece of a geological core on Aug. 11, 2022. Calista is the Native corporation that owns the mineral rights at the mine project. Donlin is one of eight large mine projects listed in a new report as being near development or in advanced exploration. Seven large Alaska mines currently are producing. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
A young girl plays on the Sheep Creek delta near suction dredges while a cruise ship passes the Gastineau Channel on July 20. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)

Juneau was built on mining. Can recreational mining at Sheep Creek continue?

Neighborhood concerns about shoreline damage, vegetation regrowth and marine life spur investigation.

A young girl plays on the Sheep Creek delta near suction dredges while a cruise ship passes the Gastineau Channel on July 20. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
A section of the upper Yukon River flowing through the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve is seen on Sept. 10, 2012. The river flows through Alaska into Canada. (National Park Service photo)

A Canadian gold mine spill raises fears among Alaskans on the Yukon River

Advocates worry it could compound yearslong salmon crisis, more focus needed on transboundary waters.

A section of the upper Yukon River flowing through the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve is seen on Sept. 10, 2012. The river flows through Alaska into Canada. (National Park Service photo)
Eddie Petrie shovels gravel into a mine cart as fast as possible during the men’s hand mucking competition as part of Juneau Gold Rush Days on Saturday at Savikko Park. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Mucking, trucking, chucking and yukking it up at Juneau Gold Rush Days

Logging competitions, live music, other events continue Sunday at Savikko Park.

Eddie Petrie shovels gravel into a mine cart as fast as possible during the men’s hand mucking competition as part of Juneau Gold Rush Days on Saturday at Savikko Park. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Caribou cross through Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in their 2012 spring migration. A 211-mile industrial road that the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority wants to build would pass through Gates of the Arctic and other areas used by the Western Arctic Caribou Herd, one of the largest in North America. Supporters, including many Alaska political leaders, say the road would provide important economic benefits. Opponents say it would have unacceptable effects on the caribou. (Photo by Zak Richter/National Park Service)

Alaska’s U.S. senators say pending decisions on Ambler road and NPR-A are illegal

Expected decisions by Biden administration oppose mining road, support more North Slope protections.

Caribou cross through Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in their 2012 spring migration. A 211-mile industrial road that the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority wants to build would pass through Gates of the Arctic and other areas used by the Western Arctic Caribou Herd, one of the largest in North America. Supporters, including many Alaska political leaders, say the road would provide important economic benefits. Opponents say it would have unacceptable effects on the caribou. (Photo by Zak Richter/National Park Service)
Rosemary Ahtuangaruak, mayor of the Inupiaq village of Nuiqsut, at the area where a road to the Willow project will be built in the North Slope of Alaska, March 23, 2023. The Interior Department said it will not permit construction of a 211-mile road through the park, which a mining company wanted for access to copper deposits. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times)

Biden shields millions of acres of Alaskan wilderness from drilling and mining

The Biden administration expanded federal protections across millions of acres of Alaskan wilderness on Friday, blocking oil, gas and mining operations in some of the… Continue reading

Rosemary Ahtuangaruak, mayor of the Inupiaq village of Nuiqsut, at the area where a road to the Willow project will be built in the North Slope of Alaska, March 23, 2023. The Interior Department said it will not permit construction of a 211-mile road through the park, which a mining company wanted for access to copper deposits. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times)
In an undated image provided by Ken Hill/National Park Service, Alaska, the headwaters of the Ambler River in the Noatak National Preserve of Alaska, near where a proposed access road would end. The Biden administration is expected to deny permission for a mining company to build a 211-mile industrial road through fragile Alaskan wilderness, handing a victory to environmentalists in an election year when the president wants to underscore his credentials as a climate leader and conservationist. (Ken Hill/National Park Service, Alaska via The New York Times)

Biden’s Interior Department said to reject industrial road through Alaskan wilderness

The Biden administration is expected to deny permission for a mining company to build a 211-mile industrial road through fragile Alaskan wilderness, handing a victory… Continue reading

  • Apr 17, 2024
  • By Lisa Friedman, The New York Times
  • Newsmining
In an undated image provided by Ken Hill/National Park Service, Alaska, the headwaters of the Ambler River in the Noatak National Preserve of Alaska, near where a proposed access road would end. The Biden administration is expected to deny permission for a mining company to build a 211-mile industrial road through fragile Alaskan wilderness, handing a victory to environmentalists in an election year when the president wants to underscore his credentials as a climate leader and conservationist. (Ken Hill/National Park Service, Alaska via The New York Times)
Employees at the Kensington Mine removing tailings from Johnson Creek on Feb. 17 following a Jan. 31 spill of about 105,000 gallons of slurry from the mine, although a report by the mine’s owners states about half slurry reached the creek 430 meters away. (Photo from report by Coeur Alaska)

Emergency fisheries assessments sought after 105,000-gallon tailings spill at Kensington Mine

Company says Jan. 31 spill poses no risk to Berners Bay habitat, but NOAA seeks federal evaluation.

Employees at the Kensington Mine removing tailings from Johnson Creek on Feb. 17 following a Jan. 31 spill of about 105,000 gallons of slurry from the mine, although a report by the mine’s owners states about half slurry reached the creek 430 meters away. (Photo from report by Coeur Alaska)
Kaskanak Creek in the Bristol Bay’s Kvichak watershed is seen from the air on Sept. 27, 2011. Threats to the watershed and other sites were cited by the Environmental Protection Agency when it issued a decision barring permitting of the Pebble mine. But the Dunleavy administration and Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. have taken legal action to try to reverse that decision. (Photo provided by Environmental Protection Agency

State lawsuit claims federal government owes Alaska $700 billion for quashing Pebble mine

The federal government owes Alaska more than $700 billion in compensation for the 2023 Environmental Protection Agency action that blocked development of the massive and… Continue reading

Kaskanak Creek in the Bristol Bay’s Kvichak watershed is seen from the air on Sept. 27, 2011. Threats to the watershed and other sites were cited by the Environmental Protection Agency when it issued a decision barring permitting of the Pebble mine. But the Dunleavy administration and Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. have taken legal action to try to reverse that decision. (Photo provided by Environmental Protection Agency
The Red Devil Mine, which produced mercury on and off from the 1930s to 1971, is seen from the air in 1960 in this archival photo from the University of Alaska Anchorage’s collection. The Bureau of Land Management has approved a plan to clean up what is considered the last remaining source of contamination: tailings spread over the property. (Photo by Don Grybeck/University of Alaska Anchorage Consortium Library archives and special collections)

Federal regulators approve long-term plan for cleaning site of Alaska mercury mine

Nearly a century after a Western Alaska mine began producing mercury, cleanup of the site is entering a final but long-term phase. The U.S. Bureau… Continue reading

The Red Devil Mine, which produced mercury on and off from the 1930s to 1971, is seen from the air in 1960 in this archival photo from the University of Alaska Anchorage’s collection. The Bureau of Land Management has approved a plan to clean up what is considered the last remaining source of contamination: tailings spread over the property. (Photo by Don Grybeck/University of Alaska Anchorage Consortium Library archives and special collections)
The Unuk River is one of the transboundary watersheds of Southeast Alaska. (U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center photo)

Southeast Alaska tribes seek Canadian recognition due to transboundary issues

A group of Southeast Alaska tribes is asking Canada to recognize their right to have a voice in how transboundary lands and waters are treated.… Continue reading

The Unuk River is one of the transboundary watersheds of Southeast Alaska. (U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center photo)
A simulated photo shows the tailings stack and other features of Hecla Greens Creek Mine under the recommended decision for expanding the mine announced Thursday by the U.S Forest Service. The expansion would extend the life of the mine up to 18 years. The tailings stack is significantly larger in two other proposed alternatives that would expand the mine’s life up to 40 years. (U.S. Forest Service)

Draft USFS decision extends production of Hecla Greens Creek Mine for 12 to 18 years

Expansion of Admiralty Island mine includes heightened mitigation and monitoring, agency reports.

A simulated photo shows the tailings stack and other features of Hecla Greens Creek Mine under the recommended decision for expanding the mine announced Thursday by the U.S Forest Service. The expansion would extend the life of the mine up to 18 years. The tailings stack is significantly larger in two other proposed alternatives that would expand the mine’s life up to 40 years. (U.S. Forest Service)
The U.S Supreme Court is photographed on Wednesday, Jan. 3, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

Supreme Court denies Alaska’s bid to revive the copper and gold Pebble Mine proposal blocked by EPA

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected Alaska’s bid to revive a proposed copper and gold mine that was blocked by the Environmental Protection… Continue reading

The U.S Supreme Court is photographed on Wednesday, Jan. 3, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
Constantine president Peter Mercer descends from a helicopter after a tour of drilling sites in August. Mercer said drilling work will be similar in the next two or three years, as the company starts to transition to more economic, environmental,. and engineering analysis that will result in a full plan for how to access the ore, which the company is shooting to release in 2026. (Lex Treinen / Chilkat Valley News)

Constantine Mining president lays out timeline for Palmer Project work

Project north of Haines at least five years from decisions about mine development, executive says

  • Dec 8, 2023
  • By Lex Treinen Chilkat Valley News
  • Newsmining
Constantine president Peter Mercer descends from a helicopter after a tour of drilling sites in August. Mercer said drilling work will be similar in the next two or three years, as the company starts to transition to more economic, environmental,. and engineering analysis that will result in a full plan for how to access the ore, which the company is shooting to release in 2026. (Lex Treinen / Chilkat Valley News)
The Stikine River Flats area in the Tongass National Forest is viewed from a helicopter on July 19, 2021. The Stikine River flows from British Columbia to Southeast Alaska. It is one of the major transboundary rivers impacted by mines in British Columbia. (Photo by Alicia Stearns/U.S. Forest Service)

Opinion: Facing transboundary mining, Alaskans shouldn’t buy industry rhetoric

“Rest assured,” writes Michael Goehring, president of the British Columbia Mining Association, to Southeast Alaskans in his recent commentary. “Our industry is committed to managing… Continue reading

The Stikine River Flats area in the Tongass National Forest is viewed from a helicopter on July 19, 2021. The Stikine River flows from British Columbia to Southeast Alaska. It is one of the major transboundary rivers impacted by mines in British Columbia. (Photo by Alicia Stearns/U.S. Forest Service)