Coeur Alaska has a commitment to operate at the highest standards of environmental, health and safety compliance.
Coeur has a strong regard for environmental protection, health and safety. We design, operate, and conduct all of our activities in such a manner as to protect the physical environment and the health and safety of our employees and the general public. We believe a “safe mine is a productive mine.” The safety of employees and related personnel is based in part on individual commitment. We manage and work at all our mines under the principle that any harm to employees or property is preventable. We comply with applicable environmental and public safety laws and regulations and develop and implement a comprehensive program to ensure compliance. We are both responsible and responsive in matters relating to environmental protection, health and safety. This policy can be simply stated as: “Producing and Protecting.”
The company implements reasonable operational procedures to ensure we are effective in addressing environmental, health and safety concerns. In particular, we:
We encourage and are involved in the development of reasonable environmental, heath and safety legislation and regulations, and we work cooperatively with appropriate local, state, and national regulatory agencies on matters of reporting, review and compliance.
We develop, obtain, and disseminate pertinent information to our employees through on-going training programs to alert them to environmental, health and safety trends and concerns.
The Kensington Gold Mine has been the subject of 900 environmental studies, extensive public input and agency review. We thought it would be helpful if we addressed one discussion topic - the management of the gold ore material once the gold has been removed.
“Tailings” defined: The material left after gold recovery is called tailings. Simply put, the Kensington tailings are sand-like material that are generally inert and contain less metal content than the native lake sediments where they will be placed. The Kensington tailings are very similar to the sands found at Sandy Beach in Juneau.
Kensington's gold recovery process: Kensington does not use the traditional cyanide process to recover gold. While cyanide can be safely used to recover gold, in response to public concerns the Kensington mine will not use this chemical. Instead, the gold will be recovered using a flotation process. This involves use of degradable flocculants, detergents and air to produce bubbles which the gold mineral attaches to and is then collected. The final flotation concentrate is then shipped to an off-site processing facility.
Lower Slate Lake: The approved plan involves construction of a tailings dam below a small, relatively unproductive lake called Lower Slate Lake. The water quality in the lake does not naturally meet state standards for aluminum and there is little or no spawning habitat for native fish. During mining, this area provides a geotechnically sound location for tailings while reducing impacts to productive wetland and other wildlife habitat. At the end of mining, the tailings area will be reclaimed into a nearly 60-acre lake with improved productivity and aquatic habitat, as determined through the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement prepared by the U.S. Forest Service. After mining the reclaimed lake will be restocked with wild native fish.
The best and only option: Kensington settled on the current tailings management plan after an exhaustive review of every conceivable alternative. In particular, during the early phases of mine permitting, seven different alternatives for disposal or management of this material were evaluated before the federal and state agencies proceeded with permitting the Lower Slate Lake option. One alternative to Lower Slake Lake reviewed during mine permitting was a process known as dry stack tailings disposal. In this process the tailings are dried and stacked in a pile on the ground. This alternative was not selected as it was not feasible for the Kensington mine due to increased wetland impacts, logistics, and cost.
The approved plan versus the discarded “dry-stack” plan: The dry-stack option was rejected by the agencies for Kensington, in part, as it would:
Meets all standards of the Clean Water Act: The Kensington mine plan meets all standards of the Clean Water Act for placement of fill into the tailings storage area, as well as meeting water quality standards set by EPA and the State for discharges to Slate Creek - thereby protecting Berners Bay.
No acid drainage: The tailings will not produce an acid discharge due mainly to the nature of the ore body itself. This is a carbonate ore body, and the carbonate acts to neutralize the acid.
Tailings management is the approved method: Simply put, the temporary use of Lower Slate Lake is the best option for the Kensington mine and as such, was approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Forest Service and State of Alaska as the environmentally favorable and feasible option.
The Kensington mine is fully permitted for operation. It currently holds almost 20 major permits and almost 60 permits in total.
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation: 9 major permits and 3 additional permits
Alaska Department of Natural Resources: 10 major permits and 7 additional permits
City and Borough of Juneau: 2 major permits and 4 additional permits
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: 2 major permits
U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms: 1 major permit
U.S Coast Guard: 4 permits
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: 1 major permit and 2 additional permits
U.S. Federal Communications Commission: 2 permits
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration: 1 permit
U.S. Forest Service: 3 major permits and 3 additional permits
U.S. National Marine Fisheries Services: 1 major permit
2006 - Coeur Alaska's Kensington Gold Mine received the Bureau of Land Management's Hardrock Mineral Community Outreach and Economic Security Award. This award is presented to Coeur Alaska for responsible mineral resource development while demonstrating an understanding of sustainable development.
2004 - Coeur d'Alene Mines' Rochester mine in Nevada is named recipient of the Habitat Restoration Award from the Nevada Division of Wildlife. This award is presented to Coeur Rochester for developing additional bat habitat in the Nevada Packard mine area.
2003 - Coeur d'Alene Mines' Rochester mine in Nevada is named recipient of the Corporate Conservationist of the Year – 2003 by Bat Conservation International.
2000 - Coeur d'Alene Mines' Rochester mine in Nevada is named recipient of the Nevada Excellence in Mining Reclamation – Wildlife Enhancement Award.
1997 - Robert “Rick” Richins, Vice President Environmental and Governmental Affairs, named recipient of the Environmental Conservation Distinguished Service Award, the top environmental award from the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers (AIME).
1997 - Coeur's CDE Chilean Mining Corporation receives an award from the Executive Commission of Sociedad Nacional de Mineria acknowledging its participation in, and contribution to, the development of Chilean Environmental regulations. CDE Chilean Mining Corporation occupied an executive position on the Commission.
1996 – Coeur d'Alene Mines' Rochester mine in Nevada is named recipient of the American Cultural Resources Association Industry Award for 1996. This award is presented to Coeur Rochester for integrating cultural resources into the environmental planning process for the mine's development.
1995 – Coeur d'Alene Mines' New Zealand Golden Cross mine is the recipient of an environmental award from the Environmental Waikato Regional Council, which cited the mine for its environmental initiatives to preserve wildlife habitat.
1994 – Coeur d'Alene Mines' New Zealand Golden Cross mine receives certification from the Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Council (WHEC) for incorporating wildlife habitat enhancement into its mine plan and completing the habitat enhancement goals.
1994 – Dennis E. Wheeler, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Coeur, is named recipient of the Environmental Conservation Distinguished Service Award, the top environmental award from the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME).
1993 – Coeur d'Alene Mines' Rochester mine in Nevada gained special recognition from the Nevada Waterfowl Association and Ducks Unlimited for the Humboldt Sink Wetlands Island mine.
1993 – Coeur d'Alene Mines is Honor Roll recipient of the National Environmental Development Association “Star” for designing a “preplanning to avoid pollution” program that involves extensive documentation of environmental baselines, development and implementation of better transport and emergency response plans for hazardous materials, water treatment, and emissions reductions. The “Star” awards is also granted for Coeur's outstanding mine planning, design and operation, which incorporated habitat restoration and environmental enhancement and community outreach programs, such as providing environmental education scholarships to University students and employee community action projects.
1992 – Coeur d'Alene Mines' Thunder Mountain mine in Idaho receives certification from the Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Council (WHEC) for incorporating wildlife habitat enhancement into its mine plan and completing the habitat enhancement goals.
1991 – Coeur d'Alene Mines is named the first annual recipient of the DuPont/Conoco Environmental Leadership Award for Coeur's overall commitment to environmental management and its environmental compliance record. The ongoing reclamation/selection committee was comprised of a representative from the Sierra Club, the U.S. Forest Service (Minerals Management), Mineral Policy Center, Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Council and U.S. Representative Nick Rahall.
1991 & 1988 – Coeur d'Alene Mines receives the Nevada Department of Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Award for accomplishments related to Rochester mine's Sage Grouse Relocation and Mitigation Program.
1989 – Coeur d'Alene Mines receives the Northwest Mining Association Platinum Award Operating Excellence for Coeur's implementation of environmental programs.
1989 – Coeur d'Alene Mines receives the State of Idaho Outstanding Achievement Award for Coeur's outstanding environmental compliance record and for the Thunder Mountain reclamation program. The selection process for this award involved federal agencies including the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service.
1989 – Coeur d'Alene Mines receives the Northwest Mining Association “Starters Award” for Coeur's environmental education program. Coeur's achievement included development of “modularized” teacher programs and involvement in cooperative rulemaking efforts with regulatory agencies in Idaho and Oregon.
1988 & 1989 – Coeur d'Alene Mines' Idaho Thunder Mountain mine receives Outstanding Achievement Award – Excellence in Operations and Reclamation – awarded jointly by the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Idaho Department of Lands, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, and Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
1987 – Coeur d'Alene Mines' Thunder Mountain mine in Idaho is nominated by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality for, and receives, the Pacific Northwest Pollution Control Association – Industrial Facility Award – having been the most environmentally responsible operation in the Pacific Northwest.
