Abet Chichi2

[bob3]

Coeur Alaska Inc
Juneau, AK

Half of the workers at the Kensington Mine near Juneau are losing their jobs because of layoffs. Tony Ebersole, with the mine's development company Coeur d'Alene Mines, said about half of the mine's 82 employees will be laid off. Ebersole said the move is needed to reduce preproduction costs. Coeur d'Alene Mines is abandoning the permitting process for an alternative paste tailings plan for the mine. Ebersole said the company will continue to pursue its original tailings plan that calls for putting the tailings in Lower Slate Lake. Tailings are the waste left over after metals are extracted from ore. The original tailings plan is being challenged in court. A decision is pending in the U. S. Supreme Court. An appeals court found the Lower Slate Lake disposal plan violates the Clean Water Act. The alternative tailings disposal method was submitted after extensive mediated discussions between Coeur and local conservation groups. It was proposed in January. Permits were expected in the third or fourth quarter of this year.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 1-50
Source: The Associated Press - October 4, 2008