Mine poisons Alaska EPA listing
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By Paula Dobbyn, Anchorage Daily News
Published: May 12, 2005
Alaska once again tops a federal list of toxic polluters, largely because of the huge Red Dog Mine near Kotzebue.
The list, prepared by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is misleading as it applies to Alaska, state officials say, because in Red Dog's case, the toxic releases are largely waste-rock piles that the mine manages under government oversight.
"Alaskans need to understand what this really means in terms of what's actually been discharged into the air, land and water," said Kurt Fredriksson, state environmental conservation commissioner.
Environmentalists say the report illustrates how massive and potentially damaging Red Dog operations are, especially to people who live near the mine.
Every year, the EPA issues its "toxic release inventory" or TRI report, an exhaustive, nationwide audit that lists what chemicals are released into the environment, by whom and in what quantities. In 1997, the agency started requiring mines to report what they were putting into the environment.
Because Alaska is home to the world's largest lead and zinc mine, the country's most remote and pristine state ironically began turning up as the largest polluter in the nation.
Alaska reported 540 million pounds of toxic releases in 2003, according to the EPA report released on Wednesday. Of that, Red Dog was responsible for 487 million pounds, followed by the Greens Creek silver mine near Juneau with 44 million and the Fort Knox gold mine outside Fairbanks with 6 million.
Both state officials and executives for the company that operates Red Dog have said for years that Alaskans should exercise caution when trying to interpret the EPA data. They note that many of the toxic chemicals Red Dog releases are naturally occurring substances, such as lead and zinc.
"The total pounds of 'releases' do not at all reflect an accurate picture of Alaska's environmental quality. The waste rock from Alaska mines is well engineered, contained and regulated by state and federal agencies," Fredriksson said. "Alaska's TRI releases are permitted discharges, regulated under state and federal laws."
Neither Red Dog's general manager nor its environmental staff could be reached for comment on Wednesday.
While the toxic releases may be regulated, it's still bad for the environment to excavate large quantities of minerals and then expose them to precipitation, conservationists say. This sets off a chemical reaction that makes runoff from the waste rock highly acidic and potentially toxic to marine animals and other forms of life.
Red Dog managers say all runoff is captured and treated before being released into a nearby creek. When it hits the creek, it meets water quality standards.
"Many industries would like to interpret the data to eliminate the perception that there is pollution. But denying that the mining industry has a pollution problem is a little like denying that major league baseball has steroid problems," said Scott Brennan, director of Alaskans for Responsible Mining.
Alaska generally tops national lists for its quality of life, and world-class fish and wildlife, said Brennan. It's unfortunate that the mining industry pushes Alaska to the top of the polluters list, he said.
The data in the TRI report is useful but conclusions about public health risks cannot be drawn from it, EPA officials say. To determine risk, specific information from the site is needed, including a material's toxicity, persistence in the environment, and the amount and duration of exposure.
