BETHEL – A proposed gold mine that would be the largest economic development project in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta moved a step forward Wednesday with the release of a significant federal environmental review.
But the Donlin Gold mine is still a long way from operating on a remote ridge about 150 miles northeast of Bethel and nearly twice as far from Anchorage. The project roots already date back 20 years with design, ore sampling and baseline studies.
The new review was triggered three years ago when Donlin's developers applied for permission to fill and disturb wetlands.
The draft Donlin Gold Project Environmental Impact Statement was prepared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies, in collaboration with tribes, to document anticipated impacts of such a big project, as required under the National Environmental Policy Act. The EIS is thousands of pages long, a package of studies and analysis, diagrams and acronyms. The table of contents tops 100 pages.
The public will get an opportunity to comment on the review at public meetings next year and by sending in written comments through April 30. The final EIS, which will guide agencies and the developers, won't be complete until 2017.
"It is the document that will inform agencies responsible for issuing the 100-plus permits that we will need -- that Donlin Gold will need -- to operate," said Kurt Parkan, Donlin's external affairs manager. "So this is a really big deal."
The Donlin deposit is estimated to contain more than 33 million ounces of gold that would be pulled out of rock crushed on-site over the mine's expected 27-year operating life. Building the open pit mine, north of the small village of Crooked Creek and about 10 miles from the salmon-rich Kuskokwim River, will take three to four years once permits are in hand. Some Y-K Delta residents have been concerned about the prospect of hurting salmon runs.
As planned, the mine work will be powered by a gas-fired power plant, supplied by a new 315-mile-long pipeline. Some 59,000 tons of ore would be processed every day. Cyanide solutions would be used to leach out the fine bits of gold. The waste tailings would be stored in a lined impoundment area.
Donlin would be the first big mine in Alaska to use such a lining, which is similar to the protective layer in landfills, Parkan said. That goes beyond what regulators require, he said. Once the area is mined out, Donlin plans to pump out the tailings water and cover and vegetate the area, another best practice, he said.
There would be an expanded port in Bethel and a new barge landing at a remote site upriver, a 30-mile access road and a 5,000 foot airstrip.
The review goes beyond the mine itself to include other environmentally sensitive aspects. The proposed natural gas pipeline, for instance, would run from the Cook Inlet gas fields through the Alaska Range to the mine site. The pipeline would parallel the Iditarod National Historical Trail for 40-plus miles, coming within a couple of miles of the trail for most of it, and within a few hundred yards or even closer for some stretches. It would mainly be buried but would be built above ground when crossing two active seismic faults. It would cross under waterways, like a straw poking into the earth.
Donlin proposed building the pipeline to avoid having to barge large quantities of diesel fuel up the Kuskokwim River to the mine site. But under current plans, two barges a day still must travel up the river bringing supplies and diesel for the megatrucks that move waste rock and ore, Parkan said. That could change, he said. The pipeline could transport diesel instead of natural gas, for instance. Or natural gas-fired trucks may be advanced enough for the project by then.
During construction, up to 3,000 workers would be needed and during operations, the number of workers would average about 800, Parkan said. The miners would make about $100,000 a year. That would have a big impact on what is now one of the poorest parts of Alaska, according to Donlin.
Operator Donlin Gold is owned equally by two Canada-based mining companies, Barrick Gold Corp., the world's largest mining operator, and NovaGold Resources Inc., a new player. The land is owned by The Kuskokwim Corp., a for-profit corporation representing 10 villages, and Calista Corp., the Alaska Native corporation for the Yukon-Kuskokwim region. Calista owns the mineral rights.
Stan Foo, Donlin Gold's president and general manager, is scheduled to talk about the project in Anchorage on Dec. 3, at the Resource Development Council breakfast meeting.
The Donlin EIS can be viewed at www.donlingoldeis.com. Public meetings haven't yet been scheduled, but a number will take place around the region early in 2016, according to the Army Corps.
Comments may be emailed to POA.donlingoldeis@usace.army.mil or mailed to Keith Gordon, project manager, Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska District; CEPOA-RD-Gordon, P.O. Box 6898, JBER, AK, 99506-0898.
Alaska Dispatch Publishing