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I've been following this story for some time now so I can do what I can when it comes time to stop this mine: The two men, each slim with a goatee, stepped out
by okareaman 5y ago
I've been following this story for some time now so I can do what I can when it comes time to stop this mine:
The two men, each slim with a goatee, stepped out into the enveloping silence of southwest Alaska’s wilderness. Before them stretched two of the wildest river systems left in the United States. Beneath their feet lay the world’s biggest known untapped deposit of copper and gold.
This Alaska mine could generate $1 billion a year. Is it worth the risk to salmon?
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-10-23/pebble-mine-alaska-salmon https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-10-23/pebble...
- chmod600 5y agoIs there a possible compromise where the damage is mitigated for a modest increase in extraction costs? I feel like "stop" is not terribly productive. Copper will probably be mined somewhere at some point, and saying "stop" just makes it happen in other places (which could be worse) or with a delay of ~10 years. But if we focus on better extraction methods, it means we can keep domestic production, control the environmental impact, and improve tech that can be used for cleaner extraction everywhere.
- okareaman 5y agoIt's an exceptional and extraordinarily valuable ecosystem. I don't think we should risk it. As you point out, there are other copper mines, some in not so special areas.