Thursday, August 7, 2014 at 12:03AM 
Before
After
How bad is that breach of the Mt. Polley mine tailing impoundment in BC?
You can see it from space.
LINK (via: SkyTruth)
Monday, May 26, 2014 at 12:03AM 
The B.C. mining industry wants its own version of the high-profile petroleum industry lobby group "Ethical Oil" to battle what it calls "systematic attacks" by environmental non-governmental organizations.
"Several Alaskan and B.C.-based NGOs are using U.S. governmental lobbying and grassroots campaigns in an attempt to stop industrial development in the trans-boundary region where your project is located," read the email invitation from Robert Simpson, president of PR Associates. "Research shows that the movement, which is relying on inaccurate and misleading public messaging, is gaining momentum."
The proposed KSM mine is just one of the projects the flacks at PR Associates are lobbying for.
The site of the proposed KSM mine is just 19 miles from the Alaska border, on Sulphurets Creek, a major tributary of the Unuk River. The Unuk flows into Behm Canal and Misty Fjords National Monument and is among the top salmon producing rivers in Southeast Alaska.
The mine will be required to treat 119,000 gallons of contaminated water per minute prior to dumping into the Unuk River.
LINK (via: Southeast Alaska Conservation Council)
KSM is just one of nine large scale mine projects the B.C. government is hoping to fast track as part of their drive to exploit the pristine wilderness of the province.
British Columbia, open pit mining in Conservation, Environment, Mines Monday, May 20, 2013 at 12:02AM 
This Weather Channel story features a profile of some of the largest holes in the ground, many of which are cavernous open-pit mining operations.
Hit the link to see more visual evidence as to why it would be disaster to put another gigantic mine on top of the world's greatest sockeye spawning habitat.
Stop the Pebble Mine, open pit mining in Conservation, Environment Thursday, May 2, 2013 at 12:01AM ;)
Click on image to see full size.
The fight to protect the Sacred Headwaters did not end when Shell agreed to abandon their coal bed methane drilling plans. Fortune Minerals has plans for an open pit coal mine on the flanks of Mt. Klappan that now stands in the way of permanent protection for the headwaters.
Shannon McPhail who was on the front lines of the fight against Shell spells out what's at stake.
LINK (via:Terrace Standard)
open pit mining, sacred headwaters in Conservation, Environment Monday, October 22, 2012 at 12:00AM 
Multi national mining conglomerates have never been afraid to do business with dictators and rogue nations when it comes to profits. The extractive resource industry not only has a track record of supporting oppressive regimes, it also has a long track record of empty promises when it comes to protecting the environment and indigenous cultures. The maze of of partnerships that make up the group developing the Pebble Project not only illustrates the nature of international mining, it also demonstrates their willingness to partner with rogue nations.
Below is the makeup of the current Pebble Project ownership and management.
The Pebble Limited Partnership is 50% owned by a wholly owned U.S.-based subsidiary of London-based Anglo American and 50% owned by The Northern Dynasty Partnership, which is a wholly owned Canadian-based subsidiary of Northern Dynasty Minerals Limited. Announced in July, 2007 the partnership agreement obligates Anglo American to spend $1.425 billion towards study, permitting, and construction of the project in order to retain its 50% interest. The partnership is managed by the Pebble Mines Corporation, a 50% Northern Dynasty:50% Anglo American owned corporation based in Alaska.
Important stockholders in Northern Dynasty Minerals Limited include Kennecott (19.8%) which is a wholly owned affiliate of Rio Tinto, management (13%), and Mitsubishi (9.1%). One non-executive member of the Northern Dynasty board is a Rio Tinto representative. The corporate officers and executive board members of Northern Dynasty Minerals Limited are all, also, executive board members and corporate officers of Hunter Dickinson Corporation. Northern Dynasty is one of ten public mining companies driven by Hunter Dickinson, a Vancouver-based Canadian corporation.
So here is the part where Pebble meets rogue nation. Rio Tinto, which owns just shy of a 20% stake in Pebble Partnerships Northern Dynasty through their subsidiary Kennecott, also holds a 65% stake in Rossing Uranium in Namimbia. Its uranium is sold to power utilities in Central Europe, North America and South-East Asia including China. Here's the good part, one of Rio's partners in that investment? Iranian Foreign Investment, who hold a 15% stake in Rossing Uranium. According to their website the Iran Foreign Investment Company (IFIC) is a Private Joint Stock company with a mission to manage and expand Iranian holdings abroad.
Despite Iran being an international pariah and the current international sanctions, Rio Tinto defends the partnership. They argue the IFIC has held their 15 percent stake in the Namibia mine since 1975, before the Islamic takeover; that Iran is banned access to nuclear technology at the mine and to its uranium; and that its dividends have been put into a trust. That argument did not convince House Democrats who attempted to block legislation in 2011 that benefited Rio Tinto due to their partnership with Iran. That legislation allowed a land swap between Rio Tinto and the U.S. government, that allows the company to set up mining operations and extract copper discovered in Arizona.
So the next time some necon Republican asshats question the integrity of the EPA or the broad coalition of groups opposing the mine, ask them why one of Pebble's partners is still in the uranium business with Iran. You also might point out that the Rossing uranium mine is also having issues with leakage below their tailings dam.
open pit mining, rio tinto, stop the pebble mne in Environment Thursday, October 4, 2012 at 12:00AM 
Some good news coming out of Canada and some potential bad PR for a certain mine project in Alaska that sits on top of the world's greatest sockeye run.
Plans for a copper and gold mine in the province’s northwest have been rejected by the B.C. government because it could endanger salmon in the Skeena River.
The proposed Morrison Mine project was planned to be located directly beside Morrison Lake, at the headwaters of the Skeena River, the second-largest producer of sockeye salmon in B.C.
The government decision was only the second time a mine has been rejected in the history of B.C. environmental review.
LINK (via: The Vancouver Sun)
