CANADIAN MINING
A major mining boom is occurring in northwest British Columbia, in the remote headwaters region of our transboundary Stikine, Taku, and Unuk Rivers.
Combined with reduced environmental safeguards, and a lack of engagement from the US, Alaska, and Tribal Nations, the rapid mining development poses a significant threat for Southeast Alaska communities downstream.
The high-voltage 344-kilometer Northwest Transmission Line was completed and energized in 2014 to facilitate major mining projects in the region, extending from Skeena Substation to Bob Quinn Lake. Canadian government's recent $60 million investment will further accelerate the rapid transformation of our rivers' headwaters into an industrial mining district, and dozens of mining projects currently exist in the transboundary watersheds.
This development is already having a major impact in the northwest British Columbia. The mines involve large-scale infrastructure development and generate immense quantities of tailings and mine wastes, requiring treatment and maintenance in perpetuity — the threat of catastrophic dam failures will continue for centuries after the mines have been closed.
Key mining projects upstream from Southeast Alaska:
THE RED CHRIS MINE
Stikine River Watershed
The Red Chris is an operating open-pit copper/gold mine. The mine is located outside the community of Iskut, with the Klappan river flowing through the property less than 12 miles from its confluence with the culturally important Stikine River. The mine's proximity to the Sacred Headwaters and the transboundary nature of environmental management in this region has raised concerns across the border.
Regardless of strong opposition from First Nations, Southeast Alaska Tribes, fishermen, and environmental groups, operations at the Red Chris Mine began in 2015. The mine was built by Imperial Metals, the company responsible for Mount Polley Mine breach - the worst environmental disaster in B.C.’s history.
The Red Chris tailings pond, which contains 107 billion cubic feet of mining waste, contains more toxic tailings than Mount Polley's, yet the 344 feet high dam utilizes the same dangerous and flawed design.
The Red Chris tailings dam was inspected after the Mt Polley breach on August 4, 2014. It was found to have 22 serious design and construction flaws.
An independent investigation and review, authorized under Section 8 of the Ministry of Energy and Mines Act, revealed problems with the tailings pond design, including serious risk of seepage and leakage and vulnerability to landslides. The review found there were no emergency response plans, no operating, maintenance, and surveillance manuals for the tailings facility, and no studies to detail what would happen if the dams collapse.
The review predicts two additional tailings dam failures could occur every 10 years in British Columbia if mine waste disposal practices aren’t improved.
THE ESKAY CREEK
Unuk River Watershed
Eskay Creek Mining Ltd, subsidiary of Skeena Resources, proposes to develop the Eskay Creek Revitalization Project, an open pit gold-silver mine located approximately 77 miles south of Iskut, B.C. and 51 miles northwest of Stewart, at the site of the past-producing underground Eskay Creek Mine.
The mine, re-branded as the Eskay Creek Revitalization Project, lies in the Unuk River watershed, 20 miles from the B.C.-Alaska border, directly upstream from Southeast Alaska communities. The mine plan includes two open pits, with mining waste dumped into natural lakes. The toxic waste will be held back by tailings dams, which are structures that will have to be maintained into perpetuity - a time frame within which complete failure is guaranteed to occur.
The mine project sits on the traditional territory of the Tahltan Nation and asserted traditional territory of the Skii Km Lax Ha Nation.The Project directly impacts traditional and historical territory of seven SEITC member Tribes.
The Project has reached the final stages of the environmental review process, and its approval is looming. Skeena Resources' application lacks a thorough evaluation of the project's cultural, social, and environmental impacts on downstream communities. Only select First Nations have been consulted. The Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) admits there are likely cross-border effects if the Project is implemented.
THE SCHAFT CREEK PROJECT
Stikine River Watershed
Teck Resources Limited (Teck)'s proposal is to develop an open pit polymetallic (copper-gold-molybdenum-silver) mine approximately 60 kilometres south of Telegraph Creek, British Columbia with a proposed ore production rate of up to 150,000 tonnes per day over a minimum 15-year operation period.
The project would utilize conventional truck and shovel equipment and typical drill and blast techniques, and would include an explosives storage facility. The ore would be crushed, milled and filtered on-site to produce ore concentrates.
The project would also include an access road and a 287-kilovolt transmission line within the Mess Creek watershed. The mine pit, plant/mill, and waste rock storage facilities are proposed to be located along the east bank of Schaft Creek.
An airfield would also be constructed to the east of the pit. The tailings impoundment area would be located within the Skeeter Creek watershed (a tributary of Schaft Creek). The scope of the environmental assessment will also include the transportation of materials and supplies along Highway 37 from Kitwanga to the mine site as well as the transportation of ore concentrate by way of truck along Highway 37 to the Port of Stewart, British Columbia.
BRUCEJACK MINE
Unuk River Watershed
Brucejack is an underground gold mine operated by Newmont, spanning 463 square miles near within the Stikine watershed near the Alaska border. The underground mine commenced production in 2017 and is one of Canada’s largest gold producers, yielding significant amounts of gold and silver annually. The mine's hazardous waste is deposited into the Brucejack lake.
In 2021, five million tons of rock and ice fell from the Canoe Glacier, just 4 miles from the mine, raising concerns about the geologically unstable region's suitability for mining operations.
THE KSM PROJECT
Unuk River Watershed
The Kerr-Sulpherets-Mitchell Project is a proposed copper and gold open pit mining project located 65 km NW of Stewart B.C., in the Unuk River watershed, directly upstream from Alaska's Misty Fjords National Monument. The mine plan calls for three large open pits, and an underground mine. The mine will produce billions of tons of waste. It will require the construction of two 14.2-mile-long tunnels to deposit the waste into a tailings impoundment. At 784 feet high, the tailings dam wall for KSM will be higher than the average New York City skyscraper. If built, the KSM would become the largest gold-copper mine in the world as measured by resource size.
The KSM would extract up to 130,000 tonnes of gold, copper, silver and molybdenum ore per day over a mine life of up to 52 years. The Environmental Assessment Certificate (EAC) for KSM was issued July 29, 2014. It was granted a five-year extension to July 29, 2024, and it later received another two-year extension to July 29, 2026.
On July 25, 2024, KSM was determined to be substantially started, meaning the project as described, including all of the effects and mitigations measures, will be permanently locked in. However, Seabridge Gold had completed only one of the 32 major components and the status will be challenged.
THE TULSEQUAH CHIEF MINE
Taku River Watershed
The Tulsequah Chief Mine, located in northwestern British Columbia, 20 miles from the Alaska border near Juneau, produced copper, gold, lead, and zinc in the '50s. The mine was abandoned in 1957, resulting in significant environmental impacts, including acid mine drainage that continues to pollute nearby waterways, particularly the Taku River watershed, to this day.
It has been 10 years since B.C. Mines Minister Bill Bennett promised to clean up the mine site. The ongoing pollution violates the Canadian Fisheries Act, B.C. mine permits and water quality standards, and an agreement with the Taku River Tlingit First Nation. After decades of international controversy and two failed attempts to re-open this mine that have resulted in bankruptcies, it is clear the Tulsequah Chief Mine is not a viable mine, yet the pollution continues.
GALORE CREEK MINE
Stikine River Watershed
Over 18.5-years the mine, operated by Galore Creek Mining Corporation, a joint venture between Newmont and Tech Resources, is expected to produce about 588 million metric tons of ore, with an annual yield of approximately 3.23 billion pounds of copper, 200,000 thousand ounces of gold, and three million ounces of silver.
Most of the project’s expected one billion metric tons of waste rock and tailings will be contained behind wet tailings-dams in a steep canyon, submerged in Round Lake, which drains into the Iskut and Stikine Rivers. The waste is expected to leach aluminum, antimony, boron, cadmium, copper, fluoride, iron, lead, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, sulphate, and zinc into the impoundment water. The effluent from the mine site will be discharged from the tailings and waste rock impoundment into Galore Creek from mid-May to mid-October.
The company maintains that this toxic “effluent will mix rapidly due to the highly turbulent nature of Galore Creek,” diluting its content within the surface waters of the Stikine drainage". Although the government of British Columbia issued an environmental assessment certificate for the Galore Creek Mine in 2007, changes in the proposed project have necessitated a new environmental assessment process.
NEW POLARIS GOLD MINE
Taku River Watershed
Canagold Resources Ltd. proposes to develop the New Polaris Gold Mine, an underground gold mine located approximately 100 kilometres south from Atlin, B.C. and 60 kilometres northeast of Juneau, Alaska. The proposed project has an anticipated production capacity of approximately 1,000 tonnes per day of ore. It would include the mine site and associated facilities, ancillary infrastructure, as well as an airstrip and barge landing site.
PREMIER MINE
Bear River Watershed, flowing into the Portland Canal
Operated by Ascot, Premier is located about 1.5 miles northeast of the BC-Alaska border. First gold was poured in April, 2024, but in September Ascot announced that development at the mines' Northern Lights and Big Missouri deposits had not progressed as planned, and the project was placed on care and maintenance. Ascot has sought a financial hardship exemption from the Toronto Stock Exchange to facilitate a financing package totaling approximately C$52 million. The funds are intended to support development of the Premier Northern Lights mine, restart the mill, and recommence operations at the Big Missouri mine.
