Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Pebble Mine Project

One hot topic around all of Alaska is The Pebble Mine Project.
Anti-Pebble Pollster Releases Poll Showing 79% Statewide Support For Pebble
ANCHORAGE—A statewide poll conducted for the Alaska House Finance Committee shows that 78.8% of Alaskans support moving forward with environmental studies to determine whether the Pebble Project should be developed. Hellenthal and Associates, which also is the Alaska polling firm of record for the highly visible, anti-Pebble Renewable Resources Coalition, interviewed 403 Alaskans for the survey, asking questions that ranged from budget priorities to state ownership of an Alaska gas pipeline.
Included in the survey was a question asking respondents if they favored or opposed “going forward with environmental impact studies for the proposed Pebble Mine to determine whether or not the mine could be developed in a responsible manner.” Only 19% of those interviewed opposed the project moving forward, while 2.6% were undecided with respect to Pebble.

Truth About Pebble
Is another link to give more details about the Project.
In a nutshell, a Canadian Mining Company has found an area, a very large area, with Highly Profitable Deposits of gold, silver, and other precious "Noble Metals". Now, this area is very near a pristine Fishing Lodge, with wondrous views, This IS an area of Alaska that is, unlike the Tundra Moonscape of the area of ANWAR under which the oil deposits lay, beautiful, with abundant wildlife, flora, crystal clear streams....you get the picture (I hope).
I am confused. The area of ANWAR that the Oil Companies want to use and drill is, truly a Tundra Moonscape. The "footprint" would be tiny. Nobody lives there, no body would want to live there because it is desolate. The "Urban Sprawl" argument is downright ludicrous. Yet Democrats and Liberals and Greenies are screaming Bloody Murder about any drilling there.
"The Pebble Mine Project" however will be located in an area of Alaska that, well, to be succinct, SHOULD have Democrats and Liberals and Greenies screaming "Bloody Murder". Why aren't they?

MaryAlice