Mine waste will outlive us all

While I was estranged from Alaska, I tried to keep up on Alaska issues and politics — I have to say, however, that it was a bit hard without being immersed in Alaska culture and being surrounded by Alaskacentric media.

There was no Frontiersman on the front lawn in the morning — nor was there a lawn, for that matter — and subsequently there was no stack of newspapers on the kitchen table taunting me mercilessly to give in to my guilt and read them all in their entirety.

I have been trying in earnest to catch up. To replace, in my mind, Steve Cowper and Wally Hickel with Sarah Palin and that one guy who is now governor. To expunge the raspy voice of Theresa Obermeyer from the compartment of my brain that works to understand Alaska politics — that part of my mind, by the way, is usually unsuccessful and mostly confused. To take the inappropriateness of Don Young and … well, it appears that I am caught up on that front.

I think that I have been making strides, as I have noticed my understanding deepen and evolve and I now have what I would consider informed opinions on topics such as SB 21 and education funding in Alaska. People with opposing opinions on these subjects would, of course, consider my beliefs ill conceived and uninformed. But that, I suppose, is part of the fun in being engaged in an active political discourse within the community.

It was with great interest then that I watched the episode of “PBS Frontline” devoted to Pebble Mine. I had seen the anti-Pebble stickers all over and in some intriguingly unlikely places, and the ubiquity of pro-Pebble ads on TV are striking, so I figured this is one topic that I should know more about. And if I can do so while sitting on my couch, then all the better.

Predictably, it’s a complex issue. Jobs, fishing, the environment, endangered species, subsistence, the need for precious metals, federal involvement, big money from outside, the permitting process, indigenous rights, seismic activity — it’s all in this one, wrapped up in propaganda from both sides like some horrible present that no one wants to open. In all of this, however, one point struck me and drove my opinion on the proposed Pebble Mine, like the proverbial herder of cats, from confusion to clarity.

The billions of tons of mine waste created will need to be remediated forever.

This is one fact that both sides agree upon. I am not a mining expert, but it really seems like there should be a better way to get what you want out of the ground. The idea that we would have two lakes of hazardous materials that our great-great-great-grandchildren would still have to deal with seems thoroughly absurd. I read recently that these lakes would cover an area of approximately 10 square miles. That is about 17 times larger than Wasilla Lake.

I get that we need copper. Sure, but we are asking every Alaskan who ever lives here, from now to the end of time, to pay the price for this need. That is quite a legacy to leave. Imagine if instead of leaving the pyramids for us to marvel at, the ancient Egyptians left instead a massive, un-biodegradable pile of feces. We would shake our fists at them and curse their names rather than honoring their legacy with countless museums and alien-based conspiracy theories.

Some folks say that this is just the price to pay for progress. Well, that’s not how I would define progress. If we say yes to this mine, hold our nose for the sake of some needed, but temporary, jobs, then we are not doing our part to make mining a more responsible industry. If we say no, it will send them back to the drawing board and the lab and inspire them to devise improved methods of extraction that do not have permanent toxic consequences.

It can be done. Just a few days ago, a scientist announced that it is possible to extract gold using a derivative of cornstarch instead of cyanide, a process that is much more environmentally friendly. If we raise the bar, industry can meet the challenge; if we do not, there is no impetus to drive improvement.

Maybe one day extracting metals from our earth won’t demand perpetual remediation. The methods of the past will be replaced with new approaches that won’t leave lakes of toxic substances as our permanent legacy. Then there may be a place for Pebble Mine in Alaska — for it to slot in besides fishing and the environment, to play nicely with the Alaska way of life. And, while I will most likely be long gone by then, I would bet that somehow, Don Young will still be in Washington.

Pete LaFrance grew up in Palmer and has moved back to the area after a number of years living abroad.