BC’s Mines Minister Bill Bennett met with Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski last week. British Columbia’s Energy Minister and Kootenay MLA Bill Bennett
BC’s Mines Minister Bill Bennett met with Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski last week.
British Columbia’s Energy Minister and Kootenay MLA Bill Bennett was in Alaska last week in a reported effort to address concerns about the BC’s mining industry.
He says some in Alaska are concerned about BC’s plans to expand its mining industry, especially since last summer’s massive tailings pond failure at the Mount Polley mine in the central Interior, according to a report by the Canadian Press.
“I’m here for two purposes, really. Number one to make sure that anyone in Alaska who’s interested in the B.C. mining industry has the correct story about our process, our environmental assessment process, our mines approval process,” he said in an interview with the Globe and Mail newspaper. “The second thing I’m doing here is that I want Alaska to consider sitting down with B.C. over the next several months to discuss some sort of co-operation agreement.”
Bennett says there’s an impression in some parts of Alaska that BC’s environmental standards, compliance and enforcement efforts are not as strong as theirs. He also was a guest speaker at the Alaska Mining Association’s 75th Annual Convention where he hoped to set the record straight.
In addition to meeting with key mining executives, Mr. Bennett held a high level meeting with Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski.
