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Cook Inletkeeper Energy Program

Taking Alaska Backwards: 

The Chuitna Coal Strip Mine

Massive Mine Would Lock Alaska

 into Failed Energy Future

BACKGROUND:  A Delaware corporation (PacRim Coal) funded by Texas investors is moving quickly to develop Alaska’s largest coal strip mine 45 miles west of Anchorage in the Beluga Coal Fields. This massive mine will strip up to a billion metric tons of coal from roughly 30 square miles of important bear, moose, wolf and fish habitat over the next 25 years. The mine will also dump an average of 7 million gallons of mine waste each day into prime salmon and beluga whale habitat.  Because Cook Inlet’s enormous coal reserves have yet to be tapped commercially, the Chuitna coal strip mine will set a dangerous precedent that locks Alaska’s population center into a coal-dependent future.

There’s Nothing Clean About Coal:  Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel; it produces mercury that will taint Alaska’s prized fisheries, and it’s the largest source of human-caused greenhouse gases that will aggravate climate change.  Even much-touted “clean coal” technologies (such as coal gasification or coal-to-liquids) produce more pollutants than natural gas and other traditional energy sources.  From the destruction wrought by coal strip mining, to the human health, climate change and air quality impacts from coal burning, there’s nothing clean about coal.

Alaska Crossroads:  If permitted, the Chuitna coal strip mine will lock in the infrastructure and consumer markets that make Alaska dependent on coal energy for many years to come. Industries and utilities are already lining up for Chuitna coal, and state and federal governments are using tax dollars to subsidize a coal-dependent future. Yet coal will displace Alaska’s remarkable potential for renewable energy generation – from our incredible tides, winds, rivers and geothermal sources. These renewable energies promise clean power and sustainable jobs, and would create global markets for Alaska know-how and technology.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:  Get informed and get involved.  Our kids will live with the decisions we make today:

·    Tell your local utility you don’t want coal power

·    Write to and/or meet with your elected officials

·    Make a presentation to a school or other group

·    Submit a letter to the editor to local or statewide papers

·    Get your local group to pass a resolution

·    Donate your time and/or money to local pro-renewable energy efforts

For more information contact:

Eric Uhde, Alaska Center for the Environment:  274-3639; eric@akcenter.org

Bob Shavelson, Cook Inletkeeper:  235-4068x22; bob@inletkeeper.org

Vanessa Salinas, Alaskans for Responsible Mining:  907-277-0005; vanessa@reformakmines.org

TALKING POINTS:

CHUITNA COAL STRIP MINE

Alaska Lifestyles:

·    The proposed Chuitna coal strip mine will destroy Alaskan lifestyles centered on subsistence hunting and fishing in the Beluga/Tyonek region on Cook Inlet’s west side.

·    Outside investors will ship Chuitna coal to Asian markets and destroy the salmon resources of the Chuitna River, which supports a diverse array of commercial and sport fisheries and lifestsyles.

Fish & Wildlife:

·    The proposed mine will destroy over 30 square miles of prime bear, moose and salmon habitat; once the infrastructure for this mine is in place, the development of surrounding coal leases – within the enormous Beluga coal fields - will destroy countless additional acres of habitat. 

·    A mile-long coal transport trestle jutting into Cook Inlet – with an accompanying gravel island – will be sighted in prime habitat for the Cook Inlet beluga whale; the whale’s population is so perilous that federal scientists will likely list it under the Endangered Species Act sometime this year.  The trestle/gravel island will also impact salmon runs and fisheries in the Upper Inlet.

·    Coal combustion creates unsafe mercury emissions that fall-out into our fisheries; these toxics “bioaccumulate” in our fish and will make Alaska fish less safe to eat.

Human Health:

·    Coal combustion creates harmful air pollutants, such as soot, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which harm children and adults, especially those with asthma. 

·    Conveyor belt coal and stockpiled coal on the west side of Cook Inlet will blow long distances, creating particulate pollution and health hazards in Anchorage, Mat Su and elsewhere. 

Climate Change:

·    Coal is a notorious source for greenhouse gases, and coal emissions will aggravate climate change in Alaska, where the effects of warming are already unraveling important habitats and ecosystems.

·    “Clean coal” technologies, including “coal-to-liquids,” do not decrease greenhouse gas emissions; in order to address the climate change implications of coal combustion, users must “sequester” the carbon underground.  But carbon sequestration is very expensive and the technology and corporate commitment can be elusive.

For more information:  Bob Shavelson, Cook Inletkeeper:  907.235.4068 ext 22; bob@inletkeeper.org