Even Northern Dynasty's own publications have warned of the damage mines can do. For example, on page 9 of its 2004 annual report, Dynasty offers the following warning...
"Environmental Risks: Unexpected environmental damage from spills, accidents and severe acts of nature such as earthquakes are risks which may not be fully insurable and if catastrophic could mean the total loss of shareholders’ equity."
-Source: Northern Dynasty's 2004 Annual Report, Pg. 9, June 30, 2004, http://www.sedar.com
On this point, Dynasty is exactly right: Modern open pit mines pose enormous, unpredictable and potentially catastrophic risks to the environment. These are not problems of past eras or something that happened 50 years ago. They are real and present and they plague modern mines. These modern mines are sprawling industrial complexes that include enormous pits and toxic waste lagoons that are visible from Earth’s orbit with the unaided eye. The largest pits are several miles across and more than a mile deep. The largest tailings lagoons can cover more than 20 square miles.
Mines such as those proposed upstream from Bristol Bay can release arsenic, sulfuric acid, cyanide, heavy metals including lead, cadmium, zinc, mercury, and many other forms of toxic pollution that are lethal to fish and can cause human health problems including cancer and neurological damage.
Toxic spills and leakages that cause short and long term damage to aquatic resources are not isolated, unusual situations, but common occurrences of hardrock mines that have large toxic tailings ponds.
New Cornelia Mine, Arizona NASA Photo
Despite its abysmal environmental record and the fact that it is the single largest source of toxic releases in the U.S., the hardrock mining industry is subject to some of the weakest, most outdated regulations of any major industry in North America. In a 2004 report Alaska Community Action on Toxics declared the mining industry “Alaska’s largest toxic threat.”
And if a catastrophic spill should occur?
Wealthy corporate executives may well flee the country. Here's proof, straight from Northern Dynasty's recent annual report...
"Northern Dynasty’s Management May Not Be Subject to U.S. Legal Process. As Canadian citizens and residents certain of Northern Dynasty’s directors and officers may not subject themselves to U.S. legal proceedings, so that recovery on judgments issued by U.S. courts may be difficult or impossible."
-Source: Northern Dynasty's 2004 Annual Report, Pg. 9 June 30, 2004, http://www.sedar.com/
Montana Bans Open-Pit Cyanide Leach Mining.
