Protecting our way of life through sustainability
?SP^PVPdMPYPʭ_^NLYPYLMWP`^_ZWZbP]Z`] dependence on federal and state funding. The Red Dog Mine on NANA lands has operat- ed for 30 years and provides a good case study for SZb]PXZ_PNZXX`YT_TP^TY,WL^VLMPYPʭ_Q]ZX sustainable resource development. Alaska’s modern mines have a strong track record for environmental performance. A 2015
“Calista owns the mineral resource for the proposed Donlin Gold Project. From our board of directors down to our employees, Calista is committed to active project oversight and gathering input from share- holders.” Y ukon-Kuskokwim communities have some of the highest unemployment rates in Alaska and some of the highest costs for goods and services. We cannot alleviate these hard-
Institute of Social and Economic Re- ^PL]NS^_`OdQZ`YO_SL_ʭ^SSLMT_L_ and water quality at Red Dog are better than they were before mining began. Red Dog continues to provide living-wage jobs that support a rural WTQP^_dWPZQS`Y_TYRʭ^STYRLYOMP] - ry picking. Regional Alaska Native Corpora- tions are required to share royalties from mineral extraction on their lands — such as Red Dog — with their sister corporations. Calista in turn shares these proceeds with the
ships without access to living-wage UZM^TYQ]L^_]`N_`]PLYOLʬZ]OLMWP energy. Calista Corporation’s obligation to our shareholders is to pursue eco- nomic development while protecting our subsistence way of life. We do this with careful oversight and re- aTPbZQ_SP]T^V^LYOMPYPʭ_^ZQLYd project on our lands. Calista supports Donlin Gold because it is the brightest econom-
ANDREW GUY
ic prospect in our region, with the potential to reduce unemployment and the cost of living in many of our communities. It will increase our shareholder distributions, scholarships and elder MPYPʭ_^ We also support Donlin Gold because it pro- aTOP^Z[[Z]_`YT_TP^QZ]^TRYTʭNLY_TYQ]L^_]`N_`]P OPaPWZ[XPY__SL_NLYMPYPʭ_Z`]]PRTZY?SP project proposal includes building a natural gas [T[PWTYPLYOWLdTYRʭMP]Z[_TNNLMWP_Z_SPXTYP site. ?SPPcNP^^[T[PWTYPNL[LNT_dLYOʭMP]Z[_TN expansion gives us the opportunity to consid- er and identify the potential to pursue electrical power interties and increase Internet services for communities in our region. ?SP^PL]PLWWVPdMPYPʭ_^QZ]_SP]PRTZYL_ L_TXPbSPY_SP^_L_Pɪ^ʭYLYNP^L]P^`ʬP]TYR and federal funding is less available to Alaskans.
46 village corporations in our region. Donlin Gold royalties would similarly be shared with other Native corporations for the MPYPʭ_ZQ_SPT]^SL]PSZWOP]^ Royalty sharing has historically kept many Alaska Native Corporations from going bankrupt. ?Z_ST^OLd=PO/ZR[LdXPY_^L]PL^TRYTʭNLY_ source of income for regional and village corpo- rations. At Calista, we are committed to sustainable development and protecting our way of life for generations of shareholders. This is our prerequisite for Donlin Gold and any other use of Calista lands.
Andrew Guy is President & CEO of Calista Corporation
This op-ed was published in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.
37
January 2020
The Alaska Miner
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