On Friday, the Haines Economic Development Corporation board directed its executive director, Margaret Friedenauer to begin assessing the socio-economic impact of a mine in the Chilkat Valley.
The upcoming publication of Constantine Metal Resources’ complete Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) has caused HEDC to talk more seriously about the impact of a mine in the community.
“(The PEA) is where the community kind of has a chance for input as to what is most important, and what do they really want to look at as exploration continues,” said Friedenauer on Friday.
After the full PEA is released, which is scheduled for Thursday, Friedenauer said she will take a close look at “the jobs the industry might bring to the community,” and “what potential mine operations might look like.”
“The PEA is still very preliminary and very speculative, so you can’t get too precise right now about what a mining operation would look like,” she said. “But it does provide valuable insight.”
Mining contributes to $3.4 million to the Haines economy already, according to a study by Rain Coast Data, a Juneau-based regional economic publication firm. The figure includes residents who work at Kensington and Greens Creek mines, as well as those who are working for Constantine’s exploration project. “That’s along the same lines as food and accommodation ($3.2 million in Haines’ economy),” said Friedenauer.
“I think critical areas to look at from the perspective of the development corporation…are the costs going up?” HEDC board member Sean Gaffney said on Friday. “It’s easy to see the places where the gains live. It’s harder to see the other side of the ledger, especially if those costs are spread out over a longer period of time.”
The board wondered how much a potential mine might impact traffic and schooling.
“Constantine as an exploration company is an important player in our economy right now. What’s hard to predict is a future mine project. HEDC is interested in following (that)” Friedenauer said.