Alaska

The KSM Project is in the coastal mountains of northwest British Columbia, approximately 65 km from Stewart, BC and 35 km northeast of the BC – Alaska border. The proposed mine site is located in the upper geographical reaches of Sulphurets and Mitchell creeks, tributaries of the transboundary Unuk River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean through Alaska. Due to the deposit location, concerns of Alaskans along with the potential impacts to Alaskan waters were an important focus and carefully evaluated during the environmental assessment.

"The agency has concluded that no significant adverse impacts on water quality, water quantity, fish, or human health are expected on the Alaskan side of the Unuk River"

Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency’s scientific report

The Seabridge team engaged vigorously and extensively with Alaskan regulators and stakeholders throughout the environmental assessment review and permitting phases of the KSM Project to ensure that downstream waters in Alaska would not be impacted by the proposed KSM operations.

Some of the engagement with Alaskan Stakeholders includes:

More than 140 different meetings, interactions and correspondence with US regulators agencies (Alaskan State and US Federal agencies) including the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of the Interior, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Fish and Wildlife Service
Open houses and public meetings in Ketchikan, Craig, and Klawock, Alaska

Held open house and participated in media interviews to share Project information and address concerns.
Presenting at the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska conference in Craig, Forum for Ketchikan Business Leaders in Prince Rupert, Alaska Miners Association in Anchorage and Juneau, Southeast Conference, Juneau Chamber of Commerce and Prince of Wales Island-Wide Mining Symposium, and joint business conference for British Columbia and Alaska in Prince George

Formed Alaska Working Group
Participation of subject matter experts from the Alaska Departments of Natural Resources (ADNR), Fish and Game (ADF&G), and Environmental Conservation (ADEC) as members of the EA technical working groups.
Organized site tours for working groups, Alaskan media, Alaska Department of Natural Resources Mining, Land and Water and US Environmental Protection Agency
Met with Alaskan ENGOs including the Tlingit-Haida Central Leadership Council, the Organized Village of Kasaan, the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, Rivers Without Borders and the Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission
Seabridge, along with the Canadian and BC governments, regularly engaged with at least ten different US and Alaskan agencies who were responsible for consulting with their respective stakeholders, including SEACC and the Alaskan Tribes
Released a Unuk Watershed Baseline Characterization Report in November 2018
The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency received and addressed over 400 comments related to BC-Alaska transboundary concerns
Feedback received, including that from Alaskans, resulted in major design changes to the KSM Project

To gain deeper insight into the BC Government and the mining sector’s efforts to protect transboundary watersheds, the robust, science-driven laws and regulations that govern BC’s mining industry and other pertaining facts about the industry you can also visit the Mining in the Transboundary Region page on the Mining Association of British Columbia’s website.

The involvement of Alaskan regulators was documented in a 2014 Juneau Empire article which summarized the conclusions of these regulators, “four of the same resource managers and specialists who reviewed Alaskan mines have examined KSM’s plan. They found no significant issues with the application.”