Ten years after the BC-Alaska transboundary Memorandum of Understanding, Dunleavy Administration leaves Alaskans in the dark
The Dunleavy Administration’s failures showcase the importance of a binding — not handshake — agreement to keep wild salmon rivers clean between the United States, Canada and Indigenous Nations
JUNEAU, AK— Ten years after the State of Alaska and the Canadian province of British Columbia signed a Memorandum of Understanding about Canadian mining on transboundary rivers flowing into Alaska, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy’s administration has left Alaskans worse off — less involved, less engaged, and at greater risk of transboundary mining contamination of shared rivers.
“For eight years, the Dunleavy administration has allowed ongoing and new pollution from B.C. transboundary mines to go unaddressed and for B.C. to skirt accountability for commitments outlined in state-provincial agreements,” said Breanna Walker, Salmon Beyond Borders Director. “As a result, Tribes, commercial fishermen, and Alaskans still do not have any protection from or recourse against Canada’s risky, polluting mining activity upriver. Our jobs, cultures, and economies are vulnerable to the next major Canadian mining disaster and potential decimation of salmon runs.”
“Alaska's fisheries are increasingly at risk from British Columbia’s transboundary mines,” said Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association. “We rely on both state and federal governments to negotiate meaningful protection for Alaska waterways and fisheries. In the absence of meaningful action our fish, fisheries and fishing communities are vulnerable.”
Dunleavy Administration actions:
The Dunleavy Administration has dropped Governor Walker’s 2018 direct requests to B.C. to immediately clean up Tulsequah Chief mine pollution in the Taku. The Tulsequah Chief has been contaminating Alaska waters since it was abandoned almost 70 years ago.
The Dunleavy Administration has dropped Gov. Walker’s request that B.C. transboundary mines meet the State of Alaska’s reclamation bonding requirements, so that situations like the Tulsequah Chief do not happen again.
In 2021, the State of Alaska and the Province of British Columbia disbanded their joint water quality monitoring efforts.
The administration has failed to engage Tribes, fishermen, federal agencies, and community members, meaning we learn about B.C. mine-specific updates and new pollution events in the media–a violation of Section 4 of the Statement of Cooperation, signed a year after the MOU. Examples include the news that Red Chris mine tailings dams are leaching toxicants into the Stikine-Iskut watershed headwaters and heavy metal contamination at 886% of allowable levels was detected at the Premier gold mine tailings dams, one mile from the border along the Salmon River near Hyder. Notably, the stability of the Red Chris and the Premier mine tailings dams is questionable.
Despite how almost every Southeast Alaska municipality, several Tribes and commercial fishing groups, and legislators have formally called for a permanent ban on tailings dams on transboundary rivers in 2021-2023, the Dunleavy administration has not held B.C. accountable for multiple failure-prone earthen tailings dams and the potential financial impacts of B.C. mine pollution on Alaskans under Section 5 of the SOC,
The State of Alaska, despite receiving updates and technical documents from B.C. regarding various mining proposals in the region, has not provided formal comments on any mining projects currently listed on the B.C. mining websites, including the proposed Eskay Creek gold and silver mine in the Unuk headwaters, which is the nearing the end of the B.C. Environmental Assessment review process.
Canada and British Columbia are doubling down on the gold-copper mining in the transboundary region, by fast-tracking several of the mining expansion and development proposals in the AK-B.C. transboundary region, including those to expand the leaky Red Chris mine and waste dam, and for the Eskay Creek mine and its two mine waste dams. More than 100 B.C. low-grade hardrock mine projects are in some phase of exploration, proposal, or development in the transboundary region. Scientists now warn that Canadian mining pressure along our shared rivers could lead to “undocumented extinction” of salmon runs.