Donlin Gold Mine, Coal Mining & Salmon
Contributed by Carol "Kitty" Hafner
Though I went on to become a Northwest Orient Airlines flight attendant after corporate greed destroyed my Eastern Airlines flying career in the 1980’s, I continued my outreach to assist struggling families during the Eastern strike.
While my flight attendant Transit Workers Union (TWU) membership was honoring the Eastern Airlines mechanics strike, I learned there was an ugly coal miner strike at the Pittston coal mines in Appalachia, Virginia. Through my daily strike center work, I connected with Pittston family representatives and learned that much like the remote Alaska Indigenous communities, basic nutrition necessities were becoming dangerously scarce. Without sufficient income, food was especially limited for struggling families.
I personally spearheaded two drives bringing much needed grocery items and children’s clothing for miner families. When their family representatives later traveled to Connecticut, I had their buses luggage areas filled to capacity with more of the same.
How did I do this? I wrote Letters to the Editor of several papers explaining what needed to be done and the outpouring from caring folks was immediate. Dropoff points were coordinated. Trucks to transport and drivers were donated by local workers. Compassion abounded to help these miner families during their struggle.
I learned firsthand from families about the impact of mining on frontline worker health. While Pittston was a coal mine with black lung a rampant health issue among the older workers, mining of any kind has serious long-term health impact. Gold mining is no different. Today healthcare benefits have dramatically diminished making work related hazardous illnesses far more devastating to employees.
The lure of “jobs” ignores the lifelong impact of the mine hazards. Local employees will be the ones doing the most risky and dangerous jobs. They are also the lowest paid. The highly skilled positions require education, extensive training and experience. Those career positions will be filled from outside the area.
Alaska is blessed with an enduring vibrant salmon industry, recognized worldwide. Jeopardizing the pristine waters necessary for the salmon lifecycle can easily disrupt that lifecycle forever. Toxic runoff is deadly, let alone the residue remaining from the mining process to process extracting the gold itself. The projected life of the Donlin mine is only 27 years. After then, zero guarantee first of any leakage from the storing areas, much less, who is the responsible entity for the impact? Current politics are dismantling EPA regulations. Endless loopholes enable companies to walk away from environmental damages and avoid any repercussions for impact.
Currently, Alaska has “only” six Superfund sites. They are primarily related to military, a not uncommon source across America. There is one related to a mine. In contrast, nationally there are 1340 Superfund sites with New Jersey leading the numbers at 113. Next in line are California and Pennsylvania.
When I first ran for Alaska office in 2018, I was the only candidate clearly voicing environmental concerns. These are long-term impacts that negate “jobs” – the buzzword dangled to voters – ignoring the realities of enduring impact. I was interviewed by an AP reported on my thoughts regarding the Donlin mine. I had spent several days referencing their annual report, media coverage and the gold mining industry worldwide. I drew on my extensive science education and career experience in biotechnical sales where Merck Pharmaceuticals was my key account. I thank my many professors, especially those in organic chemistry and microbiology for providing the guiding education to enable me to share my knowledge so voters can see beyond the political hype. I stated that the Donlin mine proposal didn’t convince me. Interestingly, as far as I know, that AP story on the Donlin mine never ran anywhere…
Alaska salmon and the extensive fishing industry thrive in a pristine environment. It has served Alaskan Indigenous communities for generations and can continue that legacy if leadership decision makers prioritize the sanctity of that environment. Trust in a proven legacy.
When I ran for Alaska office in 2018, eight years ago, I felt my then platform key issues were critical and today they continue to be the basis for my current reentry to the 2026 US Senate race.
Mary Peltola now thinks the Donlin gold mine is a fine thing. I didn’t think so back in 2018, and I don’t think so now in 2026.