What happens when market values change?

To the editor:

So we read in The New York Times this last week that Rio Tinto — which owns the subsidiary Riverdale Mining, the company that’s proposing to mine in the Chickaloon area on Castle Mountain — has a mine in Mozambique, Africa ,that was overvalued.

Rio Tinto has suffered millions (in losses) because of it. What really is happening in Africa? Will that mine shut down? What infrastructure for the mine has Mozambique paid for which will no longer produce for the nation? What happens when market values change in the next few years and we residents of Chickaloon, not to speak of all us Alaskans, suffer the loss of our beautiful neighborhood to a mine that Riverdale backs out of because of market forces and/or corporate failure and we are left with the destruction of Castle Mountain?

Are we, like Africa, just another area in the world to exploit and leave in ruins? Have we really elected local officials who will let this happen?

The Rev. Sam Wright, Donna Lee, Kienan Corbus, Thomas and Melea and Acacia Roed, Gary and Carrie Jenkins, Shawna and Jeff and Jameson Whaley

Chickaloon residents