"What's in a pebble?" Vancouver-based Northern Dynasty Minerals would say, "$300 billion," the estimated value of the recoverable metals contained in the Pebble Mine, a copper, gold and molybdenum deposit in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska. As the largest undeveloped copper ore body in the world, its gargantuan dimensions are matched only by the extent of the surrounding controversy and widespread aversion.
No wonder why: Bristol Bay is home to some of the world's most bountiful salmon runs. The commercial fisheries sector alone accounts for 75 per cent of local jobs, while sport fishing and subsistence harvesting of freshwater species are key to those with livelihoods in the world-famous tourism sector and the 7,500 rural residents of the region, who live downstream of the Northern Dynasty mining dominion.
Casting a dark shadow over the natural wealth of the area is the gigantic open-pit plan of the long-dreaded mine. The three-kilometre-wide, several-thousand-feet-deep hole will spit out 2.5 billion tons of waste rock. The chemical discharge and this waste material will be forever stored in two artificial lakes, 230 metres tall, seven km long. The ore at Pebble is very low grade, so feasibility studies call for a huge mine benefiting from economies of scale. The massive industrial project would scar currently wild land with many miles of roads, bridges, pipelines and power lines.
Proponents argue that the mine would provide significant tax revenue to the state, create well-paying jobs and lower U.S. reliance on foreign copper and gold. They're excited by the projected return of the initial capital investment in just three years and the expected pre-tax cash-flow of $2 billion annually for more than 45 years, so they've pledged to observe the most stringent standards regulators can set. From their part, project critics offer a barrage of concerns related to acid rock drainage, the effects of construction and mine-generated pollutants on fish habitat, and risks to groundwater by leaching contaminants.
Looking for the fishermen's take on the matter, I scour Homer harbour, southwest of Alaska's Kenai Borough. Unsurprised, I quickly find that gold is also the main thing on their minds: "Our fish is our ore; our rivers hold our gold" is the unquestionable consensus. Conversing with Homer Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Monte Davis, I don't encounter real opposition to the fishermen's opinion. Davis is quick to say the Chamber hasn't taken a stance on the issue, but "scary" is the first word that escapes his mouth when I ask him about the possibility of Pebble Mine breaking ground.
"I'm not against harvesting the resources we need, but we should do it wisely, and the Pebble Mine carries a lot of risk," he claims. I inquire about the benefits to Homer if the project goes ahead: "Becoming a bedroom community isn't always that great. Construction jobs are only temporary, and the people that would use our town that way may not participate in what real community life entails."
This view isn't shared by Homer Mayor James Hornaday, who witnessed the successful integration of the oil-rig workforce in neighbouring Kenai. Mayor Hornaday is also quick to state that City Hall hasn't taken an official stance yet, but the main concern he shares is about bringing the project to an end: "I'd be wary of stopping the project altogether. It's private property and, according to the area legislator, closure would require compensation."
Official or not, everybody finds valid reasons to defend his or her position. I bet you can as well, but wait, it may be worth taking a step back before choosing gloss or matt - selecting a different location for our mining operations doesn't necessarily mean our minerals will come problem-free. In fact, Anglo American, Northern Dynasty's partner in this, is already well known, for the wrong reasons, in the mining world: Its corporate performance is poor regarding public health and worker deaths in places like South Africa, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Ireland, even the U.S.
This worries Anders Gustafson, executive director of the Renewable Resources Coalition in Anchorage: "They don't care about people; will they care about fish!?" Gustafson agrees that mining operations can wreak havoc anywhere, "but there are some special spots where they obviously don't belong. It's totally unreasonable to open a mine in the Bristol Bay region."
Perhaps 19th century poet James Foley wouldn't have seen the reason in it either, but he certainly found the rhyme:
"Drop a pebble in the water:just a splash, and it is gone;But there's half-a-hundred ripplescircling on and on and on."
