Essay Sample on Mining and the Need of Minerals

Introduction

The people of Alaska has just voted for a new governor by the name Mike Dunleavy who supports a fair process which allows Pebble and other development projects to participate in the rigorous federal and state permitting process. Pebble in conjunction with other companies supported the governor-elect Dunleavy whose governance will allow major development projects in Alaska are specifically mining in Bristol Bay. The people of Alaska want responsible kind of development where companies are permitted to undertake their prospects as long as they follow all the required procedures and ensure that they protect the environment (Costello and Charles). Pebble Limited Partnership CEO Tom Collier confirms the claims stating that "Alaskans have sent a clear message to the global investment community that the state has high standards for development and promotes a fair process for determining if potential projects in Alaska such as Pebble can meet those standards.

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The second link is an article titled save Bristol Bay. Pebble submitted its first major federal permit application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, they are still waiting for feedback, but according to the article save Bristol Bay, the application should be rejected since it will destroy the environment which has been conserved by the inhabitants for years. As per the application, Pebble is planning to mine the first 1.5 billion tons (Costello and Charles). The total capacity of the mineral deposit is nearly 11 billion. The first phase will form a foundation for future expansion and construction of mining center and in Bristol Bay. The company feels that the process will be safe and the environment will be restored. According to Pebble, the mining area will be approximately 1mile long and quarter-mile deep. 3000 acres of wetlands will be destroyed in the process, and not less than 21 miles of salmon streams will be gone.

According to those opposing the idea, pebble's plan is disastrous to Bristol Bay salmon. Despite the destructions, the project will produce a new Alaska with new structures such as an industrial district; a private dual 83-mile-long crossed 200 streams with 8 large bridges crossing, 188-mile-long natural gas pipeline and a 230-megawatt power plant with2 megawatts additional power plants with a port. Pebble is planning to bury the pit with 1.1 billion tons of tailings waste (Miller 213). The process will be monitored and maintained. All the mining facilities and supporting infrastructure will run for 20 years nonstop.

According to the article by the national geography, there is a lot of dilemma surrounding the Pebble prospect. Approximately 80 percent of the native Alaskan population is against the project. Alannah Hurley, executive director of the United Tribes of Bristol Bay, claims that the people of Alaska depend on the rivers and the wild of Salmon Bay including the fish. They rely on it for spiritual purposes also hence harming their environment means harming the people of Alaska. However, the world depends on copper in many ways. It is estimated that approximately 20 million tons of copper is used yearly. It is used to construct bridges and other important infrastructure in the world is abandoning the pebble reserve will mean that the world will run short of copper in the next few years (Holley 18-27). What is required is proper procedures which will ensure that the minerals are mined with care to avoid destruction of the environment.

The Pebble mine project is targeting three minerals, copper (highest percentage), molybdenum and gold. This minefield id one of the richest in the world though negotiations on the risks and benefits to the stakeholders have not taken place hence the project is still stalling. Anglo American Company which is expected to mine has sponsored public forums which are expected to provide the views of the natives on how the mining should be done (Ahmad 579).

Bristol Bay is the largest source of commercial fish, but the status may change soon if the Pebble mining project is undertaken. There is a dilemma since the same Bristol Bay has the largest reserve of gold copper and molybdenum. The mining process will harm the environment hence the fish will be harmed meaning that the area will stop producing the fish. There are many stakeholders involved hence it is hard to agree on the way forward considering the diverse views from every stakeholder (S. Snyder 17-26).

Conclusion

The benefits of allowing the commencement of pebble project overwhelm the disadvantages of doing the same, but it is important to consider what the native Alaskans thinks about the issue. The population of this area treasures their environment so much that despite the likely benefits of mining, they still think that their environment is much more important (Ahmad 579). The voices of the Alaskan should be heard and considered since they have a right to protest.

Works Cited

Ahmad, Nadia B. "The Baseline Bar." U. Kan. L. Rev. 65 (2016): 579.

Costello, Christopher, and Charles D. Kolstad. Mining and quasi-option value. No. w21325. National Bureau of Economic Research, 2015.

Holley, Elizabeth A., and Carl Mitcham. "The Pebble Mine Dialogue: A case study in public engagement and the social license to operate." Resources Policy 47 (2016): 18-27.

Miller, Brett A. "Embracing the Water-Energy Contradiction: The Pebble Mine Conflict and Regulatory Implications Associated with Renewable Energy's Dependence on Non-Renewable Copper." U. Denv. Water L. Rev. 19 (2015): 213.

Snyder, Samuel. "Bristol Bay wild salmon, pebble mine, and intractable conflict: Lessons for environmental studies and sciences." Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development 56.2 (2014): 17-26.