Alaskan lieutenant-governor preparing to visit Mount Polley mine
Posted May 1, 2015 6:35 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VICTORIA (NEWS1130) – Alaska’s lieutenant-governor will visit the Mount Polley mine next week in an effort to ensure his state won’t be damaged by a similar catastrophe.
Alaskans have been voicing concerns about BC’s plans to expand mining in the province’s north, saying the province’s upstream mines could harm the valuable salmon rivers that flow into Alaska.
The site is where a tailings dam collapsed last summer spilling millions of cubic metres of mine waste into area waterways.
Lt.-Gov. Byron Mallott will also meet with officials in BC’s ministries of energy and mines, environment and aboriginal relations during a stop in Victoria.
“As neighbours, we have many things in common and I want to strengthen the relationships we Alaskans have with British Columbia,” said Mallott in a statement. “I look forward to this trip and seeing first-hand the Canadian side of the transboundary issues.”
An independent, government-ordered report concluded the spill was caused by an inadequately designed dam that didn’t account for drainage and erosion failures associated with glacial till beneath the pond.
Imperial Metals spokesman Steve Robertson said this week the company is seeking permit approval to reopen Mount Polley this summer.
