Coueur pursues new tailings plan, appeals rejection of old one
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) _ Owners of the Kensington gold mine near Juneau are pursuing another outlet to dispose of mine waste, plus a solution in court to have the old plan approved.
The state and Coeur d'Alene Mines Corporation are appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court to have a previous tailings plan reinstated.
That would allow Coeur to dump waste rock into Lower Slate Lake, a proposal approved by the Army Corps of Engineers but rejected by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Coeur last week submitted a revised plan proposing that tailings be converted into a paste and stored near Lynn Canal.
Earthjustice attorney Tom Waldo says the company appears to be hedging its bets, pursuing a new plan while continuing litigation on its first proposal.