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Mining Environmental Accidents, Pollution, Tailing Dams and Abandoned Mines

Mount Polley to re-open after last year’s disaster – by Mary Catharine Martin (Juneau Empire – July 10, 2015)

http://juneauempire.com/

Two British Canadian ministries announced Thursday that they are allowing Imperial Metals Corporation to re-open Mount Polley mine after last August’s tailings dam failure, which released billions of gallons of toxic tailings and contaminated water into the Quesnel Lake watershed. Southeast Alaskans concerned about Canada’s mining boom decried the move, saying the authorization ignores detailed recommendations of an independent review panel whose report was released earlier this year.

This is the first of three steps Mount Polley will need to begin operating as it did this time last year, said Minister of Energy and Mines Bill Bennett and Minister of Environment Mary Polak in a press release. They’ve granted the company the ability to begin conditional operations; it will not be able to release water from the site.

“In the early fall, the company will need a second conditional permit to treat and discharge water in order for operations to continue. Lastly, the company must submit a long-term water treatment and discharge plan to government by June 30, 2016. The mine will not be authorized to continue to operate long-term if it fails to complete either of the last two steps,” Bennett said in the press release.

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Home Runs: Alaska’s leaders must walk their salmon talk [B.C. Mines] – by Malena Marvin (Juneau Empire – July 9, 2015)

http://juneauempire.com/

Malena Marvin is the Executive Director of Southeast Alaska Conservation Council.

Walk up to most houses in rural Southeast Alaska, including ours, and the first thing you see is an impossibly long row of battered XtraTuf rubber boots. There are boots for the family, the friends who stopped by to chat, extras for the summer folks who came to visit or work as crew, and probably a pair or two with mysterious origins. Together, they tell a story of a certain way of life, one lived by the tidelines and on the water, and one defined by adventure and hard work outdoors.

Wrangellite or Skagwegian, Republican or Democrat, Native or newcomer, our families are diverse. But our family values in this place do have a few common elements. Jars full of berries and fish are the obvious one. A commitment to taking care of friends and neighbors is another. I also look across the islands and fjords of our region and see that few of us are more than one degree of separation from a family whose livelihood depends on fishing or tourism dollars.

It’s in reverence to our unique way of life, to these things that unify us, that today I’m asking Gov. Bill Walker to work harder for clean water, and to walk his talk about putting Alaska’s fish first when it comes to policy.

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B.C. privacy report finds no significant Mount Polley risks prior to disaster – by Dirk Meissner (CANADIAN PRESS/Vancouver Sun – July 2, 2015)

http://www.vancouversun.com/index.html

VICTORIA – The British Columbia government needs to “open the gates” on information that is in the public interest, says a new report into last summer’s Mount Polley mine disaster.

The report by Information and Privacy Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said that while the government didn’t violate its legal obligations to report on conditions at the central B.C. mine before the August 2014 tailings-pond breach, it now needs to release more information because of her interpretation of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

She said her office previously interpreted Section 25(1)(b) of the act to permit only the release of information considered to be urgent, but it will now interpret the section to permit the release of information that a reasonable observer would consider in the public’s interest.

“In the past the duties or obligations to disclose information that’s clearly in the public interest was interpreted very narrowly by my predecessors. I think wrongly,” Denham said in a Thursday interview.

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Mount Polley could reopen in July: mines minister (CBC News B.C. – June 30, 2015)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia

11 months after its tailings pond collapsed, Mount Polley mine set to get approval to reopen

Less than a year after the Mount Polley tailings pond collapsed, spilling toxic waste water in central B.C. waterways, the mine could reopen as early as July, says B.C. Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett.

“The public, I’m sure, assumes that politicians make these decisions and we often don’t,” said Bennett. “I’m advised by the statutory decision makers in this case that the information from the company is there. Its being assessed. It’s probable Mount Polley will get a permit to open in the next couple of weeks.”

Last August, a wall of the Mount Polley tailings pond broke and spilled 10 billion litres of water and 4.5 million cubic metres of sand laden with toxic arsenic, nickel and lead into B.C.’s waterways.

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NEWS RELEASE: [British Columbia] Government appoints Mining Code Review Committee members

VICTORIA – Minister of Energy and Mines Bill Bennett today appointed a Code Review Committee pursuant to section 34 of the Mines Act that will determine how best to implement the seven recommendations stemming from an Independent Expert Engineering Panel’s investigation into the Aug. 4, 2014, tailings pond breach at the Mount Polley Mine in Northwest B.C.

The expert panel delivered a report in January on its investigation into the cause of the failure of the tailings storage facility at the Mount Polley Mine. The report also included the release of 35,000 pages of documentation related to the panel’s investigation. The panel concluded the dam failed because the strength and location of a layer of clay underneath the dam was not taken into account in its original design, and made seven recommendations to prevent such incidents in the future.

“Work is already underway to address four of the expert panel’s recommendations on improving corporate governance, expanding corporate design commitments, improving professional engineering practices and strengthening current regulatory operations,” said Bennett. “This is the next to step in the process to implement all of the expert panel’s seven recommendations.”

Addressing the independent panel recommendations on tailings storage facilities is the first priority of the code review and will focus on the following three areas:

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My Turn: Enough is enough – we need international oversight now – by Rob Sanderson (Juneau Empire – JUne 17, 2015)

http://juneauempire.com/

Rob Sanderson Jr. is the 2nd vice president of the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, co-chair of the United Tribal Transboundary Mining Work Group, and president of the Ketchikan Tlingit and Haida Community Council.

Mount Polley’s owner received its permit to operate the Red Chris Mine in the headwaters of the Stikine River despite assurances from the British Columbia Minister of Mines that these types of tailings dams would not be used following the disastrous failure of the Mount Polley dam.

B.C.’s words do not match their actions.

The government of B.C. continues to downplay the need for any international oversight over the watersheds flowing into Southeast Alaska stating that we have nothing to worry about from the huge mining projects both active and proposed in these watersheds. The government of British Columbia, through their rigorous permitting and enforcement process, has everything under control. There are even those in Alaska repeating these same words.

So far, just like the permits themselves, these are only words. Words did not stop the Mount Polley dam failure. The B.C. government issued the final permit for the operation of the Red Chris Mine’s tailings dam despite serious concerns about dam safety and the ability of Canadian regulators to oversee these operations.

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Montana takes action on mine waste after B.C. dam failure – by Gordon Hoekstra (Vancouver Sun – June 7, 2015)

http://www.vancouversun.com/index.html

New laws spearheaded by industry after Mount Polley dam failure

The pollution caused by last summer’s dam failure at the Imperial Metals’ Mount Polley and the recommendations from an expert panel this January are having effects in the United States.

Six weeks ago, Montana changed its laws in response to the B.C. mine disaster, entrenching in statutes design standards for mine waste-storage facilities, qualifications for engineers and requirements for independent review panels.

The law changes were spearheaded by industry through the Montana Mining Association and sponsored by Republican state Senator Chas Vincent.

In B.C., the mining industry has been cautious in its response to the expert panel recommendations, which included the call for the independent review panels made up of senior geotechnical engineers. And while the B.C. Liberal government says changes are coming, it has said a review of provincial laws could take at least a year.

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Odisha’s story about pollution, mining and the environment – by Priya Ranjan Sahu (Hindustan Times – June 5, 2015)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/

Bhubaneshwar – Odisha’s resource-rich Sukinda valley acquired infamy as the fourth most polluted place in the world in 2007, ranked by the Blacksmith Institute of the US.

The finding was vigorously contested by the state pollution control board as vastly exaggerated, but it did manage to cause a constructive debate on environmental issues in the region.

The valley in Odisha’s Jajpur district has around 97% of the country’s reserves of chromite ore, a vital component in the production of stainless steel, leather and alloys.

The downside to the heavy tapping of mineral resources from a dozen open cast mines in the area over 70 years has been the utter degradation of Sukinda’s landscape. Water in the region has been severely contaminated, the soil polluted with toxic substances, the forests almost wiped out and farms laid waste.

Locals say half the mines now stand closed but the damage has already been done, thanks largely to the improper disposal of waste in river water by the miners.

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First Nations’ report calls for ‘super fund’ to cover mine disasters – by Dirk Meissner – Canadian Press/CTV News Vancouver Island – June 3, 2015)

http://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/

VICTORIA – A mining organization representing British Columbia’s First Nations says companies should bankroll an emergency fund to cover the cost of potential mine disasters similar to last summer’s Mount Polley tailings dam collapse.

However, an industry spokeswoman says mine owners are already required by law to pay disaster and cleanup costs.

The B.C. First Nations Energy and Mining Council released a report Wednesday saying mining operations threaten more than 230 northern aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities and even the drinking water in Prince George, Terrace and Smithers.

Thirty-five tailings ponds at 26 mines and in 48 watersheds could also impact nearly 8,700 kilometres of fish-bearing waters, said the report by the North Vancouver-based council.

Dave Porter, the council’s chief executive officer, said First Nations analyzed and surveyed mine tailings ponds following last year’s Mount Polley mine disaster near Likely, in central B.C.

Porter said the report calls for improved emergency measures, which should involve companies funding a response team during a mining catastrophe.

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B.C. First Nations mining council report raises tailings dam safety concerns – by Gordon Hoekstra (Vancouver Sun – June 3, 2015)

http://www.vancouversun.com/index.html

Nearly three dozen mine-waste storage facilities could affect 33 First Nation communities

A report that shows a widespread fallout zone for mine-waste storage facilities in northern and central B.C. has led to a call for more protection of watersheds, assurance that communities receive long-term benefits, and creation of a cleanup fund.

The survey being released today was commissioned by the B.C. First Nations Energy and Mining Council in the wake of Imperial Metals’ Mount Polley mine-waste dam failure last year.

The breach released millions of cubic metres of finely ground rock containing potentially toxic metals, called tailings, into the Quesnel Lake watershed, resulting in heightened concerns over dam safety and the long-term effects on aquatic life.

The new report — Uncertainty Upstream: Potential Threats from Tailings Facility Failures in Northern British Columbia — found 35 mine-waste storage facilities at 26 active and closed mine could affect 33 First Nations communities if there is a breach.

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Nine Months After Polley Breach, Alaskans Seek Compensation Guarantee from BC – by Jordan Wong (TheTyee.ca – May 29, 2015)

http://thetyee.ca/

Proposed northern BC mines ‘source of great angst in Juneau.’

Earlier this month, Heather Hardcastle, a commercial fisherwoman from Juneau, Alaska met in Williams Lake, B.C. with members of the Tsilhqot’in First Nation. They shared a meal of wild Alaskan salmon that Hardcastle brought as a symbolic gesture: This fish was a reminder of all there was to lose.

After lunch, Hardcastle and her team of Alaska visitors boarded a helicopter and flew 25 minutes away to the site of the Mount Polley accident, the scene of a massive breach last August of its mine waste dam near the town of Likely, B.C.

The breach released millions of cubic metres of contaminated water into Quesnel Lake, which feeds into the Fraser River.

Nine months later, Jacinda Mack, a Xatsull woman from the Soda Creek reserve and one of many residents living near the path of the spill, invited the Alaskans to Williams Lake to see firsthand the main effect of that accident.

On the Fraser River, contamination from the mine breach threatened the run of Sockeye salmon that spawns in Quesnel Lake.

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Mount Polley Mine Owner Prospecting In Clayoquot Sound – by Dan Lewis (Huffington Post – May 12, 2015)

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/british-columbia/

Before the dust had even settled on Mount Polley, mine owner Imperial Metals was active again in British Columbia’s Clayoquot Sound. This finding was announced in Who’s Knocking?, a report on mineral tenures in the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The report, released by Clayoquot Action in partnership with Fair Mining Collaborative, details who is looking for minerals in Clayoquot Sound, and what types of minerals they are looking for.

Twenty years ago when someone said “Clayoquot,” protests against clearcutting of old growth forests came to mind. At that time nobody thought anybody was crazy enough to propose an open-pit copper mine in the heart of Clayoquot Sound.

Fast-forward 20 years, and somebody is crazy enough to make such a proposal: Imperial Metals. That’s right, Imperial Metals, who operates Mount Polley mine, home to one of the largest mining disasters in the world, has been exploring the potential for two mines in Clayoquot Sound, in unceded Tla-o-qui-aht and Ahousaht First Nations territories.

Who’s Knocking? shows that 5.8 per cent of Clayoquot Sound is under some form of mineral title, with a total of 257 claims held by 23 licensees.

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Company announces amidst protests that Mount Polley mine could restart in months – by Dirk Meissner (Canadian Press/Brandon Sun – April 30, 2015)

http://www.brandonsun.com/

VICTORIA – The open-pit, gold-and-copper mine hit by a devastating tailings pond breach that caused an environmental disaster in central British Columbia could be operating safely and near full capacity within months, the company has announced.

Steve Robertson, vice-president of corporate affairs at Imperial Metals Corp., (TSE-Ill), said Wednesday that more than 50 per cent of Mount Polley’s 370 employees would be back at work if the Vancouver-based company is granted a permit to restart operations.

“If we get a permit approving the restart of the mine in June, it’s going to take a few weeks, but within a few weeks we would be able to be up and running,” he said. “What we’re proposing is a modified restart.”
Robertson said the startup phase would not be full speed.

He said 276 people were employed doing restoration in March, but those numbers are fluctuating.

Environmental and aboriginal groups say they will oppose any decision that allows Mount Polley, blamed for spilling 24-million cubic metres of silt and water into nearby lakes and rivers last August, to resume operations.

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Canadian, American groups call on B.C. to end underwater storage of mine tailings – by Gordon Hoekstra (Vancouver Sun – April 28, 2015)

http://www.vancouversun.com/index.html

Mines minister says that is not going happen in the province, or likely anywhere in Canada

Dozens of Canadian and American environmental groups, First Nations and businesses, as well as scientists and individuals, have called on the B.C. government to end the use of storing mine waste under water and behind earth-and-rock dams.

But Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett said that is not going to happen in British Columbia. “I don’t think that’s in the cards for B.C. — or any other province in Canada — to adopt a policy where all you can use to manage tailings is dry-stack tailings,” Bennett said in an interview.

The demand from the U.S. and Canadian groups — sent in a letter Tuesday to Bennett and B.C. Environment Minister Mary Polak — came as a result of Imperial Metals’ Mount Polley tailings dam failure last summer.

The dam collapse released millions of cubic metres of water and tailings — finely-ground rock waste containing potentially toxic metals — into the Quesnel Lake watershed in the B.C. Interior.

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Southeast depends on its rivers – by Matt Lubov (Juneau Empire – April 22, 2015)

http://juneauempire.com/

Southeast Alaska’s livelihood is dependent on its marine ecosystem, especially its salmon runs. As a fishing guide and resident, I know that fishing is Southeast Alaska’s livelihood. While the majority of our most productive salmon rivers — such as the Taku, Unuk and Stikine — have their headwaters in British Columbia, we need to ensure BC manages its side of the rivers properly to ensure healthy fish runs across all of Southeast Alaska.

Alaska residents should be extremely concerned about BC’s plans for massive industrial development in these headwaters. KSM, Red Chris, Tulsequah Chief, New Polaris, Big Bull, Schaft Creek, Galore Creek and more mines are already proposed or in development. The scale of this development is massive, and despite the implications of Mount Polley, BC is going full-speed ahead.

While these mines plan on only being in production for a handful of years, their tailing ponds are immortal and must be controlled for my entire lifetime, my kids’ lifetime, my grandkids’ lifetime, my great-grandkids’ lifetime … and, well, you can get the point.

I urge Gov. Bill Walker and Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott to act as soon as possible before much of this development becomes a done deal. We need real action from BC to improve its mining practices and long-term guarantees that BC mining won’t harm us downstream. We need to know that a Mount Polley-type of disaster won’t happen in the Taku, Stikine or Unuk.

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