July 12, 2005 – Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency cleared the way for a mining company to begin mining for gold in Southeast Alaska, a project that will employ hundreds, in addition to creating millions of tons of waste that can now be legally dumped into a lake in the Tongass National Forest.
According to a new regulation under the Clean Water Act, mining debris, known as "tailings," is no longer considered waste. Instead, it is now labeled "fill," meaning it can be dumped in many natural places so long as a permit is obtained. Environmental groups point out that that the newly classified fill can include a variety of toxins, including mercury, arsenic and lead.
In a statement released last week, BushGreenwatch, a group funded by Moveon.org and Environmental Media Servies to track environmental legislation, noted that the EPA approved the Coeur d'Alene Mining Corporation’s permit application despite the potentially hazardous ecological affects such dumping may have on Berner’s Bay, a Tongass waterway with diverse marine life.
Earthworks, a nonprofit advocacy group that works to counter the potentially destructive actions of mineral extraction companies, notes that sea lions, bears, numerous fish species, moose, bald eagles and many other creatures utilize the area where Coeur d’Alene will be dumping its mining byproduct.
According to the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council (SEACC), an environmental group that works to protect the 17 million-acre Tongass and other facets of Alaskan nature, mining and other human activities are increasingly placing the Tongass waters in danger, threatening several species of wildlife. Sulfide, a chemical the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health lists as a known carcinogen, is one of the biggest threats, the group claims.
The EPA action follows a similar Army Corps of Engineering decision by little more than a week. The permit specifically allows the mining company to dump tailings into Slate Lake and calls for the construction of a dam to increase the amount of space that can be used for dumping.
Coeur d'Alene says the mine is expected to employ approximately 200 people permanently and provide about 325 jobs during construction.
