ALASKA - People pushing for the Pebble Mine Project said they are living up to a promise to make their plans public. The Pebble Partnership has released close to 30,000 pages of scientific study and put the information online.
Pebble said the research represents years of study and more than $100 million in costs to them. Most of the research was completed two years ago, but some of the studies, like water quality, are still going on.
Pebble calls the research a baseline environmental look at the Bristol Bay region where the mine is proposed, but the report does not include any specific plans for the mine itself.
Critics said they want to hear more about the mine proposal and the company’s plan to operate without harming the environment or the salmon population of Bristol Bay.
"It's fair to question it when it's paid for by the mining interest," said Art Hackney of Wild Alaska Salmon Protection.
Pebble officials said they will be releasing all the information to the public by the end of this year and will begin applying for permits shortly after that. In the meantime they said anyone is welcome to read the information online. The company is also printing a hard copy that should be available soon, as well as a DVD that contains the information.
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