Advisory vote on Wishbone Hill mine packs depot

PALMER — Hundreds of people turned out Tuesday to tell the Mat-Su Borough Assembly how they felt about coal mining and, in the end, the assembly voted to endorse the proposed Wishbone Hill mine.

Usibelli Coal Mine’s proposed project at Wishbone Hill is between Palmer and Sutton. Nothing is set in stone, but the most likely plan would have the coal trucked from the mine to Point MacKenzie and loaded onto cargo ships bound for Japan.

Tuesday, the assembly debated a resolution penned by Mayor Larry DeVilbiss. The resolution didn’t change any rules or laws, but was merely the borough weighing in on the Department of Natural Resources’ process to renew Usibelli’s coal mining permit.

Still, the meeting packed to overflowing the Palmer Train Depot, a venue chosen to accommodate a larger than the assembly’s chambers can hold.

A gaggle of anti-mine residents showed up in orange T-shirts warning of damage to the health of local children.

“I just want to apologize to everyone here for not having enough T-shirts,” said Kirby Spangler, who lives near the mine and is one of those leading the charge against it.

A smaller cadre of pro-mine residents wore yellow hardhats with the slogan “Mining rocks Alaska!”

In addition to health concerns, the anti-mining testimony worried about mining explosions, decreased property value, water pollution and safety. Residents testifying noted that there is a state study of the health impacts of mining ongoing that the borough should wait for before commenting. They said the process was rushed.

“You wouldn’t do this in the middle of Anchorage,” said Heather McCausland, outreach coordinator with the Mat Valley Coalition. “People choose the Valley because they think we’re not going to say anything.”

“Usibelli plans to use your infrastructure to ship a raw resource with no value added to a foreign country,” said Jennifer Harrison, executive director of Chickaloon Village Traditional Council.

Pro-coal folks could probably have summed up their arguments in one word: jobs. They say they want the boost a mine might give the local economy. They also said mining could be accomplished with minimal impact. Usibelli spokeswoman Lorali Simon said the mine stands on its record; Healy is a beautiful place to live with a healthy population and the mine there is larger than this one will be.

George Rauscher, president of the Sutton Community Council, urged the assembly to endorse Usibelli’s permit application.

“We can’t afford not to support this project,” Rauscher said. “What I can’t figure out is why you haven’t signed it yet.”

In the end, the assembly voted 5-1 to back the mine’s efforts to renew its permits. Most who voted for the resolution said the mine would spur economic development.

Assemblyman Vern Halter, who represents Talkeetna and Willow, said it was a tough decision, but that he thought the state could ensure the mining was conducted safely and responsibly.

“The fact of the matter is it’s a state permit and sometimes we’ve just got to put some trust in the state,” he said. Halter makes a living in tourism and knows that, “Healy has a great tourism business even though they have a huge mine there.”

The lone voice of dissent, Warren Keogh, represents the area containing the mine. He took issue with the resolution saying it was one-sided and didn’t take into account impacts to nearby homeowners.

In assembly resolutions, each new paragraph begins with the word “whereas” and, Keogh said, “nearly half of the whereases in this resolution support the interests of one corporation.”

Where it talked about reclaiming the land, Keogh said he read the resolution to be saying the area would be beautified through mining.

“It, in my opinion, fails a very simple red-face test,” he said.

But Keogh didn’t put up a big fight. In the end, he said, the resolution doesn’t carry much weight.

“Whether we pass this resolution or not will have little bearing on DNR,” he said.

Before passing the resolution, the assembly added a couple of things. One stated more strongly the borough’s desire to have coal cross its docks at Point MacKenzie rather than be shipped out of some other Alaska port.

Another change stated clearly that the borough wants the state to closely monitor the mine for compliance with regulations.

Finally, a change in the language made the point that the borough values the tourism industry and doesn’t want to see mining negatively impact it. That last change sparked the most debate. Keogh said he didn’t think a sentence about tourism was relevant or that it would do anything to sway DNR.

Assemblyman Ron Arvin disagreed.

“If we put in there that we want the scenic viewshed of that particular stretch of the highway protected, they will be compelled to do it,” he said.

He said he wanted more family wage jobs, not just living-wage jobs, in the borough and the mine will provide some.

“What we should be concerned about and what I’m concerned about is economic development,” Arvin said.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.