Article By SEAN COCKERHAM
Anchorage Daily News
Published: October 18th, 2011
Posted by Walter DiSarro:
Last month Alaska’s Lake and Peninsula Borough approved a ballot initiative focused toward the contraversial proposed Pebble Mine project. The ballot initiative states in it’s purpose section that it’s aimed at protecting salmon habitat in the Bristol Bay region from large-scale mining. The passing of the initiative changes borough law to forbid the granting of development permits for resource extraction that “could result in excavation, placement of fill, grading, removal and disturbance of the topsoil of more than 640 acres of land and will have a Significant Adverse Impact on existing anadromous waters.”
This initiative directly disrupts permits for Pebble Mine, which would be based near Lake Iliamna & Lake Clark, part of the Bristol Bay watershed. If Pebble is developed for gold and copper extraction, is expected to be North America’s largest open pit mine.
Since the ballot took place, it’s legality has been challenged by The Pebble Limited Partnership, as well as the State of Alaska, due to statues in Alaska’s Constitution leaving the state the authority to govern the management of mineral resources.
The Anchorage Daily News article can be viewed in full at:
https://www.adn.com/2011/10/17/2124678/results-are-due-later-today-for.html
