Eyak Preservation Council | Bering River Coal Field

A message from Gifford Pinchot III, Chairman of the Bainbridge Institute…

"My grandfather lost his job as the first chief of the Forest Service for speaking out to protect Alaskan wilderness including the Bering River Coal Field. The wind still blows across the pristine mountains of the Bering River, the salmon still return in abundance and the Indigenous communities still have income and subsistence from fishing. Development of the Bering coal patent would remove mountain tops and deposit the overburden in streams, choke the salmon breeding grounds and justify roads and a deep water port that would ensure the destruction of hundreds of thousands acres of wilderness."

"Now, as the world coal shortage increases and the value of coal rises, now appears to be the last chance to block a domino effect toward destructive developments of many kinds. This is a historic moment in which we either complete the work of protecting this glorious land or see the work of past generations and the needs of future generations come to naught. I urge you to help protect the mountains and rivers of the Bering Mountains."

Bering River Campaign

The Eyak Preservation Council, in partnership with our sister organization, the NATIVE Conservancy Land Trust, is working to protect the Bering River region on the eastern Copper River Delta. Specifically, we are working to stop development of the Bering River coal field which would result in extensive road building, strip mining and mountain top removal in this pristine and sensitive ecosystem.

Campaign Advisors

Theodore Roosevelt IV
Gifford Pinchot, III
Dr. Jane Goodall
Susanna Colloredo
Perkins Coie, LLP

History

On the eastern portion of the Copper River Watershed, the Bering River region lies situated between the Wrangell-St. Elias Mountains and National Park to the north and east, and the Gulf of Alaska to the south. Virtually untouched, this ecological haven has been the subject of political controversy and development threats since its discovery by Europeans in the late 19th century. Rich in coal and timber resources the Bering River coalfield immediately became the focus of the “Alaska Syndicate”, JP Morgan and Guggenheim’s efforts to mine the coal deposit to fuel the industrial expansion into the Alaska interior.

In the early 1900’s in an effort to preserve the Copper River watershed, President Theodore Roosevelt working with the “father of the forest service”, Gifford Pinchot expanded the newly designated Chugach National Forest to encompass and protect the Bering River region. Successful in their endeavor, this event marks one of the first major conservation struggles in the United States and continues today. Nonetheless, large private in holdings, an increasing demand for fossil fuels and lack of any federal wilderness designation threatens the entire Copper River region. In this tenuous climate, the fate of the Bering River Coalfield shapes the future of the entire region.

It is critical to establish new and innovative conservation strategies designed to set aside and protect land and resources. EPC and the NATIVE Conservancy Land Trust are working to retire the coal patent for the Bering River Coalfield which will not only work to permanently secure protection for the region, but also return what was formally Native land to a Native held land trust.

The legacy of President Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot has in many ways withstood the test of time in the Copper River Region. Beginning in 1962, the US Forest Service, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and the Alaska Department of Natural Resources committed to protecting the Delta and entered into the Copper River Delta Cooperative Agreement. Since that time the federal and state governments added additional protections and designations for portions of the Delta. Today, however, these designations offer no permanent protection for the Bering River region.

Under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) of 1971, the Chugach Alaska Corporation, one of 13 native corporations formed under the act, selected 73,000 acres for ownership in the Bering River region. Included in the land claim was the Bering River Coalfield containing an estimated 35 million tons of recoverable coal and valuable timber resources. Understanding the economic opportunities attached with the land, Chugach Alaska Corporation (CAC) formed a joint venture partnership with the Korean Alaska Development Corporation (KADCO) to pursue resource extraction. Several years later in 1991, Chugach Alaska Corporation filed for bankruptcy reorganization and transferred the Bering River coal patent and development rights to the Korean Alaska Development Corporation in exchange for expenses incurred.

Both KADCO and CAC express the desire to develop the Bering River region. CAC’s intent to develop its in-holdings in the region is largely economically dependent on the infrastructure associated with the coal mining operation of KADCO.

Direct Threats

Road access into the heart of the Copper River Delta would signal the beginning of the end for of one of the last intact watersheds in North America. Other than the 52 mile road extending from the small community of Cordova across a portion of the Delta, the watershed is a roadless wilderness. In the past, this lack of access created financial hurdles that sufficiently prevented natural resource extraction in the region. That is no longer the case. With the rising price of coal coupled with an increasing demand for fossil fuels worldwide, coal extraction from the Bering River coalfield is now economically enticing.

The first step to accessing and exporting coal from the Bering River coalfield is to build a road across the Copper River Delta and through the Chugach National Forest. The proposed 55 mile long Carbon Mountain Road would not only traverse numerous wild salmon streams and untouched wilderness areas, but also bring pollution to the region and open up access to other areas for resource exploitation.

Coal extraction from the Bering River coalfield breeds disastrous implications not only for the Bering River region, but also for the entire Copper River watershed. For example, once access to the site is established, Chugach Alaska Corporation plans to clear cut approximately 8000 acres of old growth Hemlock and Spruce located over the mine. Although this land is privately owned, it places a scar in the middle of one of the largest national forests in North America and opens the forest for future timber and resource exploitation.

The most devastating impact, however, is from the actual mining operation which requires large scale strip mining and mountain top removal. An assessment of the coalfield indicates a strip mining ration of over 20:1 meaning for each ton of coal removed, 20 tons of earth, gravel, and sediment must be stripped away.

A major portion of the coal can only be extracted via mountain top removal. Mountain top removal is a process whereby the mountain top is removed utilizing explosives and other techniques. Blasted rock and gravel is placed into an adjacent valley while the underlying coal is extracted. When the mining is complete the overlying rock is replaced in an attempt to recreate the natural contour of the mountain. Adding further injury, the overburden, or sediment that swelled after leaving the earth is left in the valleys filling in streams and devastating the headwaters of rivers. Some mining operations also choose to simply flatten the mountain top rather than attempting to replace the overlying rock. Regardless of the method, the landscape is forever altered and delicate river habitat destroyed and polluted.

Indirect Effects

Other projects closely contingent upon the development of the Bering River Coalfield include the creation of a deep water port at Shepard Point, oil drilling at Katalla, and another proposed 25 mile road from the Carbon Mountain Road to Katalla. Each proposed project is largely dependent on the Carbon Mountain Road which in turn is reliant upon coal extraction of the Bering River Coal field.

Stopping the Domino Effect:
What would happen if the Bering Coal were taken off the market?

The existing and future threats to the Copper River Delta and Bering River region depend on a collective series of events that open the area to public access and thus resource extraction. First and foremost, taking the coal patent off the market would prevent the environmental destruction associated with strip mining and mountain top removal. In addition, obtaining the subsurface rights will severely impact the potential to develop the Carbon Mountain area in an economically feasible way. Rather than clear cutting old growth trees and mining coal, conservation then becomes the most viable economic alternative for the 2,000 shareholders of Chugach Alaska Corporation.

Conservation of the Bering River coalfields also promotes conservation in the Katalla region. Established in 1907, Katalla is the site of the first oil well in Alaska. Since its discovery however, oil development in the region remains economically challenging. Yielding a mere 155,000 barrels of oil over the last 30 years, oil developers nonetheless continue their efforts to open the region for additional oil and gas exploration. In 2004, the conservation community scored a victory when Chugach Alaska Corporation’s (CAC) 22-year lease ran out for 10,680 acres of Native settlement land. Additionally, 55,000 acres of CAC land reverted back to the US Forest Service when CAC relinquished the right to drill for oil in the Katalla Exchange Area. Oil development for 460 acres of privately held land is still a threat, but becomes less so without road access into the interior.

Without the Bering River coalfields development project, the economic incentive to build the Carbon Mountain Road or the roads to Katalla and Shepard Point decrease significantly. In essence, without roads the proposed developments lack the infrastructure to be economically feasible.

If you would like to learn more about becoming involved in the Bering River Campaign, please contact us clicking here:

About Us \| Education \| Advocacy \| Culture \| Take Action

Home Advocacy Home Campaign Advisors History Direct Threats Indirect Effects Stopping the Domino Effect	Advocacy: Bering River A message from Gifford Pinchot III, Chairman of the Bainbridge Institute… "My grandfather lost his job as the first chief of the Forest Service for speaking out to protect Alaskan wilderness including the Bering River Coal Field. The wind still blows across the pristine mountains of the Bering River, the salmon still return in abundance and the Indigenous communities still have income and subsistence from fishing. Development of the Bering coal patent would remove mountain tops and deposit the overburden in streams, choke the salmon breeding grounds and justify roads and a deep water port that would ensure the destruction of hundreds of thousands acres of wilderness." "Now, as the world coal shortage increases and the value of coal rises, now appears to be the last chance to block a domino effect toward destructive developments of many kinds. This is a historic moment in which we either complete the work of protecting this glorious land or see the work of past generations and the needs of future generations come to naught. I urge you to help protect the mountains and rivers of the Bering Mountains." Bering River Campaign The Eyak Preservation Council, in partnership with our sister organization, the NATIVE Conservancy Land Trust, is working to protect the Bering River region on the eastern Copper River Delta. Specifically, we are working to stop development of the Bering River coal field which would result in extensive road building, strip mining and mountain top removal in this pristine and sensitive ecosystem. Campaign Advisors Theodore Roosevelt IV Gifford Pinchot, III Dr. Jane Goodall Susanna Colloredo Perkins Coie, LLP History On the eastern portion of the Copper River Watershed, the Bering River region lies situated between the Wrangell-St. Elias Mountains and National Park to the north and east, and the Gulf of Alaska to the south. Virtually untouched, this ecological haven has been the subject of political controversy and development threats since its discovery by Europeans in the late 19th century. Rich in coal and timber resources the Bering River coalfield immediately became the focus of the “Alaska Syndicate”, JP Morgan and Guggenheim’s efforts to mine the coal deposit to fuel the industrial expansion into the Alaska interior. In the early 1900’s in an effort to preserve the Copper River watershed, President Theodore Roosevelt working with the “father of the forest service”, Gifford Pinchot expanded the newly designated Chugach National Forest to encompass and protect the Bering River region. Successful in their endeavor, this event marks one of the first major conservation struggles in the United States and continues today. Nonetheless, large private in holdings, an increasing demand for fossil fuels and lack of any federal wilderness designation threatens the entire Copper River region. In this tenuous climate, the fate of the Bering River Coalfield shapes the future of the entire region. It is critical to establish new and innovative conservation strategies designed to set aside and protect land and resources. EPC and the NATIVE Conservancy Land Trust are working to retire the coal patent for the Bering River Coalfield which will not only work to permanently secure protection for the region, but also return what was formally Native land to a Native held land trust. The legacy of President Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot has in many ways withstood the test of time in the Copper River Region. Beginning in 1962, the US Forest Service, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and the Alaska Department of Natural Resources committed to protecting the Delta and entered into the Copper River Delta Cooperative Agreement. Since that time the federal and state governments added additional protections and designations for portions of the Delta. Today, however, these designations offer no permanent protection for the Bering River region. Under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) of 1971, the Chugach Alaska Corporation, one of 13 native corporations formed under the act, selected 73,000 acres for ownership in the Bering River region. Included in the land claim was the Bering River Coalfield containing an estimated 35 million tons of recoverable coal and valuable timber resources. Understanding the economic opportunities attached with the land, Chugach Alaska Corporation (CAC) formed a joint venture partnership with the Korean Alaska Development Corporation (KADCO) to pursue resource extraction. Several years later in 1991, Chugach Alaska Corporation filed for bankruptcy reorganization and transferred the Bering River coal patent and development rights to the Korean Alaska Development Corporation in exchange for expenses incurred. Both KADCO and CAC express the desire to develop the Bering River region. CAC’s intent to develop its in-holdings in the region is largely economically dependent on the infrastructure associated with the coal mining operation of KADCO. Direct Threats Road access into the heart of the Copper River Delta would signal the beginning of the end for of one of the last intact watersheds in North America. Other than the 52 mile road extending from the small community of Cordova across a portion of the Delta, the watershed is a roadless wilderness. In the past, this lack of access created financial hurdles that sufficiently prevented natural resource extraction in the region. That is no longer the case. With the rising price of coal coupled with an increasing demand for fossil fuels worldwide, coal extraction from the Bering River coalfield is now economically enticing. The first step to accessing and exporting coal from the Bering River coalfield is to build a road across the Copper River Delta and through the Chugach National Forest. The proposed 55 mile long Carbon Mountain Road would not only traverse numerous wild salmon streams and untouched wilderness areas, but also bring pollution to the region and open up access to other areas for resource exploitation. Coal extraction from the Bering River coalfield breeds disastrous implications not only for the Bering River region, but also for the entire Copper River watershed. For example, once access to the site is established, Chugach Alaska Corporation plans to clear cut approximately 8000 acres of old growth Hemlock and Spruce located over the mine. Although this land is privately owned, it places a scar in the middle of one of the largest national forests in North America and opens the forest for future timber and resource exploitation. The most devastating impact, however, is from the actual mining operation which requires large scale strip mining and mountain top removal. An assessment of the coalfield indicates a strip mining ration of over 20:1 meaning for each ton of coal removed, 20 tons of earth, gravel, and sediment must be stripped away. A major portion of the coal can only be extracted via mountain top removal. Mountain top removal is a process whereby the mountain top is removed utilizing explosives and other techniques. Blasted rock and gravel is placed into an adjacent valley while the underlying coal is extracted. When the mining is complete the overlying rock is replaced in an attempt to recreate the natural contour of the mountain. Adding further injury, the overburden, or sediment that swelled after leaving the earth is left in the valleys filling in streams and devastating the headwaters of rivers. Some mining operations also choose to simply flatten the mountain top rather than attempting to replace the overlying rock. Regardless of the method, the landscape is forever altered and delicate river habitat destroyed and polluted. Indirect Effects Other projects closely contingent upon the development of the Bering River Coalfield include the creation of a deep water port at Shepard Point, oil drilling at Katalla, and another proposed 25 mile road from the Carbon Mountain Road to Katalla. Each proposed project is largely dependent on the Carbon Mountain Road which in turn is reliant upon coal extraction of the Bering River Coal field. Stopping the Domino Effect: What would happen if the Bering Coal were taken off the market? The existing and future threats to the Copper River Delta and Bering River region depend on a collective series of events that open the area to public access and thus resource extraction. First and foremost, taking the coal patent off the market would prevent the environmental destruction associated with strip mining and mountain top removal. In addition, obtaining the subsurface rights will severely impact the potential to develop the Carbon Mountain area in an economically feasible way. Rather than clear cutting old growth trees and mining coal, conservation then becomes the most viable economic alternative for the 2,000 shareholders of Chugach Alaska Corporation. Conservation of the Bering River coalfields also promotes conservation in the Katalla region. Established in 1907, Katalla is the site of the first oil well in Alaska. Since its discovery however, oil development in the region remains economically challenging. Yielding a mere 155,000 barrels of oil over the last 30 years, oil developers nonetheless continue their efforts to open the region for additional oil and gas exploration. In 2004, the conservation community scored a victory when Chugach Alaska Corporation’s (CAC) 22-year lease ran out for 10,680 acres of Native settlement land. Additionally, 55,000 acres of CAC land reverted back to the US Forest Service when CAC relinquished the right to drill for oil in the Katalla Exchange Area. Oil development for 460 acres of privately held land is still a threat, but becomes less so without road access into the interior. Without the Bering River coalfields development project, the economic incentive to build the Carbon Mountain Road or the roads to Katalla and Shepard Point decrease significantly. In essence, without roads the proposed developments lack the infrastructure to be economically feasible. If you would like to learn more about becoming involved in the Bering River Campaign, please contact us clicking here: . Top of Page
Home \| Contact EPC \| About Us \| Education \| Advocacy \| Culture \| Take Action \| Links Eyak Preservation Council, Post Office Box 460, Cordova, AK 99574 ©2005 Eyak Preservation Council. All Rights Reserved. Website design by John M. Kruse.