News and Announcements
Public Notice:
Donlin Gold Project Renewal Application and Draft State decisions
Donlin Gold, LLC (Donlin Gold) is proposing the development of an open pit, hard rock gold mine in southwestern Alaska, about 277 miles west of Anchorage, 145 miles northeast of Bethel, and 10 miles north of the village of Crooked Creek. The proposed project would be located in an area of low-lying, well rounded ridges on the western portion of the Kuskokwim Mountains.
The proposed Donlin Gold Project would require approximately three to four years to construct, with the mine life currently projected to be approximately 27 years. The mine is proposed to be a year-round, conventional “truck and shovel” operation using both bulk and selective mining methods.
On July 9, 2018 the State of Alaska is releasing documents describing Donlin Gold Project’s reclamation and closure plans, and the following draft state decisions for a 30-day public review and comment period:
- Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mining, Land and Water, draft Reclamation Plan Approval (A20186226). The Reclamation Plan Approval includes the Plan of Operations Reclamation and Closure Plan Donlin Gold Project July 2017 Revision 1 and closure cost estimate.
- Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Water, proposes to adopt the Reclamation Plan Approval and closure cost estimate through reference into Waste Management Permit No. 2017DB0001, which was presented for public comments and three public hearings during the period from December 15, 2017 through February 13, 2018. Only comments directed at the Reclamation Plan Approval, as they apply to the Waste Management Permit, are being solicited and will be considered by the department.
Further information on how to comment can be found below, or in the newspaper Public Notice (PDF) display ad or viewed at the DEC Public Notices website.
Documents Associated with the Public Review and Comment Period
(draft permit approval and support document)
- Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mining, Land and Water, draft Reclamation Plan Approval (A20186226) (PDF)
- The Plan of Operations Reclamation and Closure Plan Donlin Gold Project July 2017 Revision 1 (PDF)
For Excel format of Donlin Gold Project Mine Reclamation Cost Estimate and Basis of Reclamation Cost Estimate, contact Faith Martineau
How to Comment
Hardcopies are also available for review at the following locations:
- AK Dept. Environmental Conservation (DEC)/ Fairbanks (610 University Ave.)
- AK Dept. Environmental Conservation (DEC) / Anchorage (555 Cordova St.)
- AK Dept. Natural Resources (DNR)/ Fairbanks (3700 Airport Way)
- AK Dept. Natural Resources (DNR) / Anchorage (550 W. 7th Ave. 9th Fl.)
Written comments must be received by:
August 7, 2018 - 5:00pm ADT
Send written comments by mail, email, or fax to:
Faith Martineau, Executive Director
Alaska Department of Natural Resources / Office of Project Management and Permitting
550 W 7th Avenue, Suite 1430
Anchorage, AK 99501
Phone:(907) 269-0949
Cell:(907) 583-8585
Fax: (907) 296-5673
Email Faith Martineau
Project Description
Donlin Gold, LLC (Donlin) has proposed to develop a large open pit, hardrock gold mine located approximately 10 miles north of Crooked Creek, Alaska, which is located on the shores of the Kuskokwim River, in southwest Alaska (277 miles west of Anchorage and 145 miles northeast of Bethel). The deposit is situated on Native lands owned by The Kuskokwim Corporation (surface estate) and Calista Corporation (subsurface estate).
Donlin is owned on a 50/50 basis held by Barrick and NovaGold and will be responsible for overseeing the proposed mine project.
Donlin's preferred design for the project anticipates a throughput of approximately 59,000 tons per day. Donlin's proposal to power the mine includes a 14-inch diameter, 315 mile natural gas pipeline that would start in Beluga, Alaska, pass through the Alaska Range, and continue on to the mine site. For further information on the pipeline please visit the State Pipeline Coordinator's Section (SPCS) website.
Donlin estimates that the project will take between 3 to 4 years to construct, with a projected mine life of approximately 27 1/2 years, and is estimated to produce (on average) approximately one million ounces of gold per year.
On July 26th, 2012 Donlin submitted a Section 404 permit application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The submittal of the 404 permit application triggered the development of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The State of Alaska is a cooperating agency during the development and review of the EIS. On April 27, 2018, a Notice of Availability for the Final EIS was published in the Federal Register. The Final EIS provides federal agency decision-makers with the scientific basis for their permitting decisions. A joint Record of Decision (ROD) will be issued by the USACE and Bureau of Land Management to document the final decisions of pending permit applications. To view the Final EIS and for further information on the 404 permit and NEPA process please visit http://www.donlingoldeis.com/.
Donlin Gold Project Public Scoping
As part of the mine development effort Donlin has applied to install a number of structures or facilities on state lands in support of the project, including port and airstrip facilities, an access road, a fiber optic telecommunications cable, material sites, temporary access routes and construction camps. Donlin has also requested to restrict public easements located within the proposed mine area. Some of the requested authorizations could involve reclassifying currently classified lands, classifying lands that are currently unclassified, and classifying lands outside of an area plan which currently have no classification. A list of the applications received by Southcentral Regional Office (SCRO) at the time of this notice can be found below along with maps of the project area.
SCRO conducted a public scoping notice from August 31, 2016 to October 17, 2016. The purpose of the scoping notice was to make the public aware of the applications received by SCRO and solicit public input that will be considered during the adjudication process. SCRO received eight comments during the scoping period, which can be seen through the link below.
If you would like to receive notifications from SCRO regarding the processing of these applications, you can subscribe to a contact list at the link provided below. Note that you will only be added to SCRO's contact list for this project and your contact information will not be added to other State of Alaska, federal or local agency distribution lists regarding the proposed Donlin Gold Mine.
Contact
Executive Director
Alaska Department of Natural Resources
Office of Project Management & Permitting
550 W 7th Ave, Suite 1430
Anchorage, AK 99501
Telephone: (907) 538-8585
Fax: (907) 269-5673
Email Faith Martineau
For more information about specific SCRO authorizations:
Christianna Colles
SCRO Donlin Project Coordinator
Alaska Department of Natural Resources
Southcentral Regional Office
550 W 7th Ave, Suite 900 C
Anchorage, AK 99501
Telephone: (907) 269-8557
Fax: (907) 269-8913
Email DNR SCRO