The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a permit last
week that will allow the Coeur d'Alene mining company to
discharge mining waste from a proposed gold mine into a lake in
the Tongass National Forest near Berner's Bay in Southeast
Alaska, paving the way for mining companies all over the country
to follow suit.
Bonnie Gestring, field staff for EARTHWORKS told BushGreenwatch,
"This is the first time since the Clean Water Act passed that
the federal government has allowed 'tailings' [a form of mining
waste] into a pristine lake, a significant departure from
traditional public policy, setting a dangerous precedent for
future mining developments."
The EPA permit was granted after a rule change to the Clean
Water Act, pushed by the Bush Administration, which allows
tailings -- waste rock and chemically-processed mine waste -- to
be classified as "fill" rather than "waste." Environmentalists
criticized the change as a backdoor attempt to circumvent a
court ruling that found that mining waste in Appalachian
mountain streams violates the Clean Water Act. [1]
Normally an impoundment facility is built near a mine to legally
dispose of mining waste, a costly process that Coeur d'Alene
wanted to avoid. The EPA rule change, however, means that Coeur
d'Alene can dump tailings containing arsenic, cadmium, copper,
chromium, lead, mercury, nickel, selenium and zinc into the
nearby lake without violating the Clean Water Act. [2]
According to Gestring, "This decision blatantly contradicts the
Clean Water Act's fundamental purpose, which is to prevent
America's lakes, streams, and rivers from being turned into
toxic waste dumps." [3]
According to the mining company's environmental review, the
barrage of chemicals in the lake will likely exterminate the
fish population, Coeur d'Arlene claims, however, that the
population will re-emerge after mining activity ceases, within
the next 12-15 years. Gestring, however, disputed the
possibility of such a comeback, telling BushGreenwatch, "There
is no historical precedent for a fish population returning after
its habitat has been subjected to so many chemicals for such a
long period of time."
Critics of the permit claim this is yet another example of EPA
changing long-standing rules to accommodate industry interests.
Kat Hall, a representative of the Southeast Alaska Conservation
Council, told BushGreenwatch, "Instead of protecting Alaska's
clean water, the EPA is sacrificing it for the profits of a
mining company."
The federal government has deemed Berner's Bay and its
surrounding lakes an "aquatic resource of national importance."
The region is home to a variety of wildlife including, sea
lions, humpback whales, four species of wild salmon, bald
eagles, brown and black bears, and moose.
###
SOURCES:
[1] "EPA would allow mine dumping in waterways," Washington
Post, Apr. 26, 2002.
[2] "EPA issues permit for controversial Alaska gold mine,"
Greenwire, Jun. 30, 2005.
[3] "Gold mine to dump mine waste in pristine Alaskan lake,"
EARTHWORKS, Jun 24, 2005.
