If You'll Permit One More Shot

I’ve been giving Eric Twelker quite a bit of flack here on PuckFebble, and rather than feel guilty about, I wonder why he doesn’t feel guilty about what he has done to Alaska. In the last few days we have received terrible news from the world of Twelker, first working Alaskans were screwed by the Supreme Courts siding with Exxon and now we learn from the Wall Street Journal that Twelkers former clients are opposing what could be the next big boom of Alaska. Read what the WSJ says below:

Many Alaskans are feeling bitter about the U.S. Supreme Court's decision Wednesday to slash the amount of punitive damages Exxon Mobil Corp. must pay for the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. But the relationship between the oil-rich state and the oil-producing giant could get even rockier in coming months.

That's because Exxon holds an effective veto over whether a pipeline can be built from Alaska's North Slope to carry natural gas to the lower 48 states.

As many Alaskans know, Governor Palin has made the construction of this pipeline a key goal for her administration. If Exxon decides to hold Alaska ‘over a barrel’ regarding this pipeline project, I wonder which side of the argument Twelker will find himself on? Maybe we can look forward to more skewed Juneau Empire op-eds as the Twelk tells readers to take it easy on the misunderstood oil giant (his former client). We’ll keep scanning the headlines.

A Banner Day for the Twelkster

Highly visible mining industry marionette, Eric Twelker, must be having a banner day today as the US Supreme court handed victory to his former employer, the Exxon Corporation, sharply reducing the $2.5 billion in punitive damages awarded in the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.

The court lowered the award to $507.5 million, effectively destroying the hopes of some 32,000 Alaska Natives and fishermen who had been waiting almost 20 years to learn whether Exxon Mobil Corp. would have to pay punitive damages for grounding the tanker on Bligh Reef and releasing 11 million gallons of crude oil into the fishing waters of Prince William Sound.

You see way back when, the Twelkster, in the case of Chenega V. Exxon, argued against requiring Exxon to pay damages to Alaskan native corporations whose land had been damaged by the spill. Now Twelker passes his time as a vocal and visible (not to mention well paid) supporter of the mining industry in its bid to build Pebble. The drinks are on you tonight Twelk!

How Could We Have Missed This?

From the good people at The Trout Underground,

Sent to us by the folks hoping to turn the Pending Pebble Mine Disaster into a distant memory, the stunning, oh-so eco-friendly ad below has been prepared by the Pebble Partnership - the companies who want to turn Bristol Bay into toxic waste site (though a profitable one for them).

The Pebble Partnership’s hoping to reassure us sporting types that no way their giant open-pit mine - and all the toxic tailings associated with it - are going to harm wildlife in the area because, you know, they say so right in the ad.

Wow. If only they’d been this clear earlier, I’m sure the salmon themselves would have welcomed them with open arms.

This must be a joke...eveyone knows salmon don't have arms. We've included a picture of the ad. It never ceases to amaze the lengths that mining interests will go to in order to decieve, distort and dissemble the truth regarind the Pebble Mine scheme.

Anglo to Undergo a Brazilian Transformation

According to Britain’s Guardian newspaper, “Brazilian mining giant Vale is eyeing a possible takeover of British rival Anglo American, led by Cynthia Caroll…Although Carroll is keen to retain the company’s independence, Anglo-American’s big shareholders are willing to accept an offer if it is pitched high enough, say City sources.”

It appears Carroll (or the Queen Bee as she has been recently dubbed by Forbes Magazine) might be on the verge of losing control of the hive. What a stinging revelation that must bee! Enough with the groaners? Alright, we’ll move on…

Although Vale’s plan has undoubtedly been in the works for a while, events accelerated quickly last week as the company announced it would sell approximately $15 billion in new shares in order to fund upcoming takeover projects and possibly prepare for an upcoming mega-merger with Freeport-McMoran (US) and Alcoa (Canada).

Vale is already the world’s largest iron ore producer and acquiring Anglo brings diversification into the field of diamonds, gold, platinum and other base metals.

We don’t really know what this takeover would mean for Anglo’s Pebble mine scheme, but if history has taught us anything it is that these mineral outfits most often turn out to be wolves of different coats – they’re all still bent on lambing. Bristol Bay isn’t out of the woods yet.

Should We Expect Anything Less From This Zero?

Well known mine company shill, Eric Twelker, has penned a laughably biased editorial piece for JuneauEmpire.com voicing his opposition to Ballot Measure 4 calling it an ‘error-filled’ and ‘ambiguous’ law – nothing supporters of the Ballot Measure haven’t heard before.

What is interesting, however, is just how slanted Twelker’s perspective is. Perhaps it has something to do with his 35 years working as a lawyer for the mining industry. Whether it be defending big oil after the Exxon Valdez spill in attempt to unjustly relieve that company from its cleanup duties, or siding with mining companies against the protection of wilderness land in Colorado, Twelker never fails to remain unimpressive.

Readers of JuneauEmpire.com would to well to take Mr. Twelker’s opinion with a big grain of salt – or, as the case may be, a nugget of Bristol Bay gold.

Legislative Opinion on Ballot Measure #4

On June 3rd an analysis of the legality of Ballot Number #4 was published by Alaska's District 35 Representative, Paul Seaton .

From the Pebble Blog at the Anchorage Daily News,

"No existing statute or regulation is directly amended or repealed by the initiative. The initiative could change how the existing state statutes and regulations may apply to large scale mining operations."

How much regulatory standards may change is "not clear" due to the "ambiguity of the initiative's language."

"In this instance due to the ambiguity of the language, the ballot summary, arguments and analysis presented to the electorate ... in conjunction with the language of the ballot measure may guide how the initiative is understood by the electorate and consequently what a court may hold is the legal effect of the initiative of the state's regulation of water quality."

And, "litigation concerning its meaning is likely."

If and when Ballot Measure #4 passes in August and derails the Pebble Mine, I'm sure companies like Anglo and Rio Tinto would like nothing more than to challenge the measure in court. It appears our struggle might last past the August vote.