US: Proposed Alaskan mine survives people's vote

Date: 27 Aug 2008

A ballot question that would have prohibited a proposed gold mine from proceeding due to fears it will disrupt the key fishing industry, has been defeated.

The ballot, which saw one of the hardest fought campaigns in history, had been positioned as a choice between the mining and fishing industries, and had focused on national identity. The companies involved with the mine include Anglo America and Northern Dynasty Minerals.

If it had been passed, it would have had the effect of blocking the proposed Pebble Mine, which would have extracted gold, copper and molybdenum around Bristol Bay in south west Alaska. The area also happens to be one of the world's most lucrative salmon fisheries following a growth in interest in wild salmon.

The vote does not make it certain that the mine will proceed, since it still needs to get a number of local permissions.

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