Smoke and broken mirrors in state mining safety updates

Alaska Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Corri Feige paints a rosy picture, giving high grades to the mining industry in Alaska (foreign and domestic ) now operating in the state, as all acting in a sound environmental manner for decades, and to five companies mentioned in the news article.

(1) Red Dog Mine owners must pay $827,000 Dollars to the state of Alaska for air quality violations, and also have been in violation of its federal water discharge permit 2,600 times since 2002. These along with 28 separate citations for failure to report the violations to the Federal Government.

(2) Greens Creek Silver Mine has been fined many times for violations of the Clean Water Act.

(3) According to the Environmental Protection Agency Fort Knox Mine is the third largest producer of toxic waste in Alaska (behind Red Dog and Greens Creek). In 2010, Fort Knox spilled 300,000 gallons of toxic wastewater along with 45,000 gallons spilled in 2012.

(4) The Pebble Mine, which is not even in to operation yet, has agreed to a $45,000 fine for an overuse water violation.

( 5) 90 percent of the Native groups in western Alaska are protesting against the permitting and operation of the Donlin Mine as a serious danger to the environment as well as to their subsistence lifestyle.

In view of the aforementioned, I would bet $10 to the hole in a doughnut that most of the mining operations now operating in the state have been cited for violations of federal or state environmental regulations and will continue to be cited in the future for said violations.

So once again the government gives Alaskans smoke and broken mirrors in its mining safety updates.

John Anderson

Kenai

Sun determines global warming

It’s not about CO2. It’s not about you. It’s the sun.

Our star is becoming less active. No sunspots now for 6 years. The temperature has leveled off since the last Solar Minimum of the early 1600s.

Just like then our local Kachemak Bay Area holds heat while Arctic cold is coming down over North America with record colds.

Russia and Europe are also colder. Food production is decreasing.

In the next few years we need to think about hunkering down with food for several months.

Theories of global warming due to our fossil fuels are not scientific. Our star determines our atmospheric temperature.

Tod Tenhoff

Thanks for Foundation support

It is with deep gratitude that the Soccer Association of Homer (SAH) thanks the Homer Foundation and the Jane Little Family Fund for support of The SPARC. Their donation was timely and has helped keep the lights on. Increased attendance and interest in program offerings is strong. Walking is offered twice a day, pickleball is popular, as is the skating program and roller derby. There are parent/child activity sessions, as well as a number of after school youth activities. Evenings and weekends find folks playing Ultimate Frisbee, Disc Golf, baseball, and futsal (indoor soccer). Sign up for a birthday party. Enjoy your Community Athletic and Recreation Center.

Will Files and Ginny Espenshade, Co-Chairs, The SPARC Operating Committee