RIVERS WITHOUT BORDERS

Shell’s methane plan in Sacred Headwaters triggers Financial Times ad

September 11, 2007 (Whitehorse, YT) – Rivers Without Borders and seven other international conservation groups are running an advertisement in today’s Financial Times in London, UK, targeting Royal Dutch Shell’s plan for a coalbed methane gas field in northern BC’s Sacred Headwaters.

See the full release.

Alaska and US Federal Agencies Raise Major Concerns and Questions About Hoverbarge Plan

 (JUNEAU)  Alaska and US federal agencies have formally raised a host of concerns about Redcorp’s hoverbarge plan, including significant risks to Taku salmon, a worrisome lack of detail and the need for extensive scientific analysis of the untested technology.  New information from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG), the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of the Interior (DOI) also indicates Redcorp’s fast track permitting and development schedule is unrealistic and the hoverbarge plan faces a very uncertain future.

See the full release here. 

Inspectors Find “Acutely Lethal” Acid Mine Pollution

April 1, 2004
(Juneau) New documents from Canadian federal fisheries and environment ministries demonstrate a history of failure by Redfern Resources Ltd. and British Columbia (BC) to address "acutely lethal" acid mine drainage at the Tulsequah Chief and Big Bull mine sites. These documents also provide evidence that BC has been deceitful about its plans for other industrial development in the Taku watershed. Redfern wants to reopen the Tulsequah Chief mine and construct a 100 mile access road from Atlin, BC to the mine site. The mine site is on the Tulsequah River, main tributary of the Taku, and above several critical salmon spawning and rearing areas.

Click here for the full press release.

BC/Alaska Conservation Alliance calls for Bi-National Assessment of Taku Mine

For immediate Release: January 30, 2007

Fishery too Valuable for Experiment with Unproven Technology

Whitehorse, Yukon and Juneau, Alaska — Rivers Without Borders has called upon authorities in British Columbia, Alaska and at the federal level in Canada and the United States to undertake a full, open and public binational environmental assessment of the new development proposal for the Tulsequah Chief project in northwest British Columbia.

On January 29th, 2007 Redcorp Ventures unveiled a development proposal for the Tulsequah Chief mine, abandoning previous plans for a 100 mile/160 km access road from Atlin, but introducing new and previously unassessed elements including an 8 km road to a barge loading facility and a proposal to “air cushion barge” metal concentrates from that facility down the Taku River to Juneau. The proposal is dramatically different from the previous proposal and would bring more direct impacts on the salmon-rich lower Taku River.

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Amount of Acid Mine Drainage release

The Tulsequah Chief mine annually pollutes the Tulsequah River with nearly 15 tons of heavy metals and has dumped more than 200 tons of these toxins into the river since 1990, according to BC government documents.

Click here for more information about this ongoing problem. 

Shelving of Tulsequah Chief Project threatens site clean-up

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Over 200 Tons of Heavy Metals Discharged Into River So Far With No End in Sight

(JUNEAU)  Heavy metal pollution from the Tulsequah Chief mine is likely to continue without adequate cleanup due to an announcement from the mining company that it is placing the project on hold due to economic problems.  A key issue is whether Environment Canada will enforce the cleanup order and its June 30 deadline to stop the ongoing heavy metal pollution.   The Tulsequah Chief mine annually pollutes the Tulsequah River with nearly 15 tons of heavy metals and has dumped more than 200 tons of these toxins into the river since 1990, according to BC government documents.

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Canadian Feds issue draft mine approval after backroom dealing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 6, 2005                                          

Alaskan Salmon Impacts Ignored
 
Canada’s federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) yesterday released a draft report recommending approval of the Tulsequah Chief mine and road project. Ignoring extensive  information to the contrary, including data from Canadian departments, DFO concludes that construction of a 100 mile road into the watershed and operation of an acid-generating mine on the bank of the salmon-rich Tulsequah River “is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.”  A 45 day public comment period will run through February 18.
 
“Canada has decided to ignore local, state and federal concerns about damages to fisheries and water quality by recommending approval.  Apparently significant environmental effects impacting the people of Juneau don’t show up on their radar,” said Chris Zimmer of the Transboundary Watershed Alliance. “They also continue to show their contempt for Alaskans by refusing to come to Juneau to publicly explain this politically motivated recommendation.”
 
There was little new scientific information or analysis in the draft screening report. In contrast to the US process, important details regarding the tailings pond, road, discharge pond and other issues will be dealt with in a permitting process after Redfern receives its DFO approval. The recommended approval is largely based on the decision by DFO officials to ignore their own Minister’s conclusion in 2004 that “DFO understands that its Fisheries Act and CEAA reviews would be best served by considering potential environmental effects of extended use of the road after mine site closure.”  Instead, DFO officials assume the road will be decommissioned, even though the Project Approval Certificate issued by British Columbia in 2002 leaves the door open for the road to exist in perpetuity.
 
“DFO clearly rolled over after political pressure from Redfern and BC. DFO officials even cut a backroom deal with Redfern officials to speed the approval process at the same time DFO was refusing requests for their officials to come and meet face-to-face with the Mayor and citizens of Juneau,” said Zimmer.
 
Documents obtained under the Canadian Access to Information request show that top DFO officials held secret meetings with the President of Redfern, a top BC official and a lobbyist on May 31, 2004. Immediately after the meeting, a top official from DFO sent instructions to his staff to accelerate the environmental assessment of the controversial Tulsequah Chief mine with Chandler and the lobbyist receiving assurances that subsequent Fisheries Act authorizations would be granted “immediately thereafter.”
 
“It’s clear that when Alaskan interests came up against Redfern’s interests, DFO sided 100% with the mining company,” said Zimmer. “They have completely forgotten their legislated duty to protect fisheries, and instead cut a backroom deal to protect Redfern, a mining company, from the threat wild salmon pose to their bottom line.”

CONTACT: Chris Zimmer, Transboundary Watershed Alliance, 907/586-4905

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Tulsequah Chief Road will harm Taku wild Salmon, report.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 25, 2004

Biologist documents faulty road design, inadequate field research and poor impact assessment

(Juneau) A new report by an independent fisheries biologist identifies serious threats to Taku River wild salmon from the proposed Tulsequah Chief mine access road.  The report documents significant flaws in the project’s scientific analysis, concluding  “that adequate baseline data have not been collected, that impact assessment and mitigation measures are inadequate, and that as designed this project is likely to lead to Harmful Alteration, Disruption or Destruction (HADD) of fish habitat and Fisheries Act violations impacting an important, shared commercial and subsistence fishery.” 

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BC and Redfern fail to stop “ACUTELY LETHAL” pollution from Tulsequah Chief and Big Bull mines

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Alaska Can’t Trust Mining Corporation or BC to Protect Taku Water Quality and Salmon

(Juneau) New documents from Canadian federal fisheries and environment ministries demonstrate a history of failure by Redfern Resources Ltd. and British Columbia (BC) to address "acutely lethal" acid mine drainage at the Tulsequah Chief and Big Bull mine sites. These documents also provide evidence that BC has been deceitful about its plans for other industrial development in the Taku watershed.   Redfern wants to reopen the Tulsequah Chief mine and construct a 100 mile access road from Atlin, BC to the mine site.  The mine site is on the Tulsequah River, main tributary of the Taku, and above several critical salmon spawning and rearing areas.

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Public/Agency comments on Tulsequah Chief Mine indentifies clear threats to water quality and fisheries

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 23, 2004

DFO Urged to Conduct More Detailed Review
 
 
EPA
EPA is particularly concerned with the operator’s ability to maintain in perpetuity the tailings impoundment, proposed to be located in the active floodplain of Shazah Creek (issues #3 and 4), the project’s ability to meet water quality objectives (issue #5) and the potential for cumulative long-term water quality impacts (issue #14).

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