DEC defense of Toxics Release Inventory data challenged

Alaska Commissioner of Environmental Conservation Jason Brune says the majority of reported toxic releases in the state consist of naturally occurring trace minerals in waste rock and tailings excavated from mine sites. Mining waste rock and tailings are disposed of in state-permitted, engineered and monitored disposal sites, Brune said, in recent comments about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s released analysis of the annual Toxics Release Inventory data for 2018. “Big mines like Red Dog move a significant amount of material as part of their daily operations, but such actions do not adversely impact human health and the environment,” Brune said, in a statement released by DEC in mid-February. “Characterizing such releases as toxic is disingenuous at best.”