Jonesville Mine (Black Range Minerals)

Background:

The Evans Jones Coal Mine operated between 1920 and 1968 in Sutton, AK where it produced over five million tons of coal and was the site of a serious mining accident in 1937.  Much of the mine (now known as the Jonesville Mine) is currently under various stages of active reclamation under the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Act, largely as a result of coal fires in the area.  There are still a number of active fires at the site, mostly in the tailings waste left by previous operations.

Throughout the 1990's and 2000's there has been sporadic interest in re-opening the mine and multiple exploratory operations have been undertaken. In 2008 the rights to the mine, as well as two adjacent leases comprising 1,450 acres, were purchased by the Australian-based Black Range Minerals through a subsidiary called Ranger Alaska.  This company holds a variety of permits related to exploration, testing, and the reprocessing of mine tailings from the Evans Coal Mine. However, additional permits would be required to resume commercial scale mining.  [GroundTruthTrekking.org]

The coal at this site is primarily medium-grade bituminous coal and would most likely be exported to Asia. As stated on Black Range Minerals’ website, “The close proximity of Alaska to Pacific Rim countries that are heavily dependent on the importation of thermal coal, including South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and China, may make the potentially lower transportation costs from Alaska to these proximal countries attractive to buyers.”

In 2010, Ranger Alaska applied for an extension of the mining permit for the lease area.  There was nearly unanimous local opposition to the mine at a public hearing in a packed house in January 2011.  Many expressed concerns about possible groundwater contamination from disturbance of the ongoing coal fires at the site along with health and safety risks from traffic and pollution associated with the transportation of the coal, and that renewal of the permit would violate the terms of the original permit itself.  Subsequently, and in spite of proper process, the Alaska Department of Natural resources awarded a renewal of the permit. 

Success! Vigilance Pays Off

(July 6, 2011)

The renewed Jonesville Coal Mine Permit was withdrawn last Friday, two weeks after an administrative appeal to the Department of Natural Resources contested DNR’s renewal of the preceding, ineligible permit. Trustees of Alaska had filed an appeal on behalf of ACE, Friends of the Mat-Su, the Castle Mountain Coalition, and the Sierra Club while Chickaloon Village Tribal Council also filed a separate appeal.  A victory for the public process, it also underscores the importance of closely monitoring our state agencies.