The Observer, May 2004

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Citizens' council to be formed for gold mine

When the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 provided for citizens’ advisory councils to help prevent industrial disasters like the Exxon Valdez oil spill, it envisioned the organizations as demonstration programs to be emulated elsewhere.

But that didn’t happen – until now.

Early this month, the Northern Alaska Environmental Center, the Teck Cominco mining company, and Gov. Frank Murkowski announced a citizens’ advisory group will be set up to oversee development of the Pogo gold mine near Delta Junction.

Work on the mine had been halted by a permit appeal from the environmental center. Creation of the citizen oversight group was one of a package of compromises that persuaded the center to withdraw its appeal and allow work to resume.

In announcing the agreement for a Pogo citizen group, Murkowski pointed to his role in creating the citizen-oversight provisions in the Oil Pollution Act. “This is similar to the regional advisory councils I proposed for Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet after the oil spill,” Murkowski said.

Under the agreement with Teck Cominco, the citizens’ advisory group will periodically review the project, and twice yearly it will evaluate a monitoring system on the Goodpaster River.

Arthur Hussey, executive director of the environmental center, said the Pogo advisory group doesn’t have a name or a budget yet, but will consist of seven members drawn from specific interest groups such residents, environmentalists, subsistence users, and commercial fishers.

The commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources will choose the first seven members based on public input. Thereafter, the group itself will nominate three candidates for each vacancy that arises, and the natural resources commissioner will make the appointment.