Protect the global climate, Alaskan salmon, and Alaskan fishermen

Urge Richard Bass to withdraw from the Chuitna coal strip mine proposal

Click here (or scroll down) to urge Richard Bass to withdraw from the Chuitna coal strip mine proposal!

Snowbird Ski resort owner proposes coal strip mine
Richard Bass, owner of the world-famous Snowbird ski resort in Utah, has formed PacRim Coal, LLC, to build what would be Alaska's biggest coal mine.

Bass's mine would threaten wild Alaskan salmon
Bass's Chuitna coal mine is proposed in the Cook Inlet watershed, one of Alaska's most productive salmon fisheries. It would directly mine through 11 miles of salmon spawning habitat in tributaries of the Chuitna River. If built, 7 million gallons of waste per day would be dumped into the Chuitna watershed -- irreversibly damaging the watershed, destroying the salmon fishery, and threatening the livelihoods of local fishermen.

The Chuitna River watershed -- threatened by mining.

The Chuitna River. Photo: Damion Brook Kintz

Bass's mine would threaten the world's climate.
The Chuitna mine would produce more than 12 million tons of coal annually, most of which would be exported to China and other Pacific Rim countries. That amount of coal would emit more than 27 million tons of carbon dioxide when burned. Snowbird, and all ski resorts, rely on cold, snowy winters. As global average temperatures rise, these are in increasingly short supply, so that many ski resorts have urged action on legislation that would address climate change.

Bass's mine would undermine previous environmental stewardship.
Snowbird has been a leader among ski areas in addressing global warming. The resort is an active participant in the National Ski Area Associations Sustainable Slopes program, receiving their top award in 2007. Investing in coal mining is not compatible with the environmental values Bass espouses, or the sustainability awards being heaped on Snowbird.

TAKE ACTION!
Urge Richard Bass to remain true to his demonstrated commitment to environmental stewardship and withdraw from the Chuitna coal strip mine proposal.

Instructions:

Read the sample letter below and edit the letter text and subject header if you are able. Customized letters have a greater impact!
Click "Send My Letter!" to send your letter to Richard Bass c/o Snowbird's public relations director.

For More Information:

Read our joint press release.
The Great Alaska Coal Rush, by Tomas Alex Tizon, in Sierra Magazine. July/August 2009.
Executive summaries and full text of the scientific studies mentioned in the press release are listed below and can be found on the Cook Inletkeeper's website.

Alaska Wild Resources has lots of information about the Chuitna coal project.
Alaska Coal is a good resource for information about coal mining in Alaska.

Subject:

Your Letter:

I am contacting you regarding your investment in the proposed Chuitna coal strip mine in Alaska.

I have concerns about the impacts of this proposed mine on the local environment, as well as its significant contribution to global warming.

Last year, the Chuitna River was one of the few rivers in the Cook Inlet region to enjoy a healthy king salmon run.  Developing the Chuitna mine on 11 acres of prime salmon spawning and rearing habitat places at risk the commercial, sport, and subsistence fishery that is vital to the region's well-being.  The mine is projected to dump an average of 7 million gallons of waste per day into the Chuitna.  Recent studies have shown that the mine would cause irreversible damage to the streams and 30 square miles of surrounding riparian habitat.

Additionally, given the nature of the coal in the Beluga deposit, the coal will likely be burned in a power plant. It has been estimated by PacRim that 12 million tons of coal would be mined annually at Chuitna, emitting 27 million tons of carbon dioxide when burned.  In addition to their carbon emissions, coal-burning power plants are the largest human-caused source of mercury emissions in the United States

Currently, you have a deserved reputation for commitment to environmental stewardship.  Your active participation in the National Ski Area Associations Sustainable Slopes program, as well as the leadership you displayed in the cleanup of the Pacific mine, are commendable.

Yet you would undermine those efforts with this mine.  Global climate change is the most pressing environmental issue facing our generation - and probably any generation.  Your legacy will be based on what you do here.  Either you can build on your past environmental accomplishments, or you can undermine and erase them.

I urge you to reconsider your financial involvement in the Chuitna mine proposal, and the local and global environmental destruction it will surely create.

Sincerely,

Richard Bass c/o Jared Ishkanian

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Protect the global climate, Alaskan salmon, and Alaskan fishermen

Richard Bass c/o Jared Ishkanian