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Survey shows strong opposition to Pebble Mine

September 22, 2009
The Bristol Bay watershed, part of which is pictured here, supports the world's largest remaining sockeye salmon fishery, generating $325 million in annual revenue and employing more than 12,500 people. Photo credit: Ben Knight.

Anchorage, Alaska--A new survey sampling a cross-section of Bristol Bay residents shows widespread disapproval of the proposed Pebble Mine, and Native Alaskan groups now are stepping up their calls for mining companies to abandon the project.

A collaboration between Anglo American PLC and Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd., the Pebble Mine would be an open-pit gold and copper mine situated in the Bristol Bay watershed in southwest Alaska.

The mining companies maintain that the project would be done in an environmentally responsible way and would bring much-needed jobs to the area. Local residents, however, claim the project would cause irreversible damage to the salmon fishery of Bristol Bay, the world's largest sockeye salmon fishery and the backbone of the local economy.

A number of jewelry companies, including Tiffany and Co., Ben Bridge Jeweler and Helzberg Diamonds, among others, have expressed disapproval for the project and vowed to boycott any gold mined at Pebble.

The survey, conducted by Anchorage, Alaska-based research firm Craciun Research, was conducted between May 18 and June 2 and sampled a cross-section of 411 residents living in six different areas around Bristol Bay.

According to the survey results, 79 percent of Bristol Bay-area residents strongly oppose (73 percent) or somewhat oppose (6 percent) the proposed Pebble Mine project.

In a letter dated Sept. 21 and addressed to Anglo American Chief Executive Officer Cynthia Carroll, four Alaska residents and Bonnie Gestring of Earthworks cited the survey results and called upon Carroll to honor the commitment made both in Alaska and during a meeting in London that "Anglo American would not pursue development of the Pebble Mine, if it did not have the support of local communities," the letter states.

An Anglo American spokesman said the London-based company stands by the commitments made by Carroll in relation to the project, but it's soon to make any final decisions about the Pebble Mine.

"The project is still at a very early stage, and it is therefore too early for any stakeholders to be in a position to make any decisions," the statement reads. "Anglo American will continue to engage with all the project's stakeholders as it seeks to develop the project in an environmentally and socially responsible manner."

The survey results also show that residents seem to believe the mine would cause more harm than good.

Seventy-eight percent said they agree strongly (64 percent) or somewhat agree (14 percent) with the statement that the Pebble Mine would damage commercial and subsistence fishing.

Another 73 percent of those surveyed agree strongly (61 percent) or somewhat agree (12 percent) that the local jobs are not worth the subsistence damage, and 71 percent agree strongly (45 percent) or somewhat agree (26 percent) that the majority of jobs would go to outsiders.

Only 10 percent of those surveyed said they agree strongly (4 percent) or somewhat agree (6 percent) with the idea of giving up some subsistence for Pebble Mine jobs.
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