Laren Roberts is the Senior VP and COO at Hecla Mining. He has over 30 years of experience in the mining industry, and previously worked at Barrick Gold.
Hecla Mining is a precious metals company located in Idaho, and the largest silver producer in the United States. Founded in 1891, they are part of the National Mining Association (NMA), a national trade organization that advocates for mining in Congress.
The National Mining Association on Climate Change:
The National Mining Association (NMA) is notorious for aggressive lobbying against mining restrictions. In 2008, NMA increased their lobbying budget to $19.7 million, and between 2010-2011 they spent over $500 million on “campaign contributions and lobbying to defeat global warming legislation and clean energy initiatives.” NMA was listed as the 9th largest association to contribute to anti-climate change efforts. Additionally, they support other organizations linked to climate denial including the American Petroleum Institute’s “Global Climate Science” denial campaign, the Greening Earth Society, and were part of the leadership in the Global Climate Coalition.
The National Mining Association has stated, “the greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon necessary for life on earth; without it the planet’s average temperature would be 0 degrees Fahrenheit, instead of 60 degrees.” The NMA advocates for climate change strategies that don’t include cutting carbon emissions. They say that, “any meaningful effort to achieve long-term, sustainable reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions will depend on the development and deployment of new energy technologies, including advanced clean coal technologies and carbon capture and storage (CCS).”
The NMA helped produce a film for Appalachian mining communities that stated, “ “As more and more scientists are confirming, our world is deficient in carbon dioxide and a doubling of atmospheric CO2 is very beneficial.” They are associated with the film “The Greening of Planet Earth,” which states, “as more and more scientists are confirming, our world is deficient in carbon dioxide and a doubling of atmospheric CO2 is very beneficial.”
Alaska:
Hecla Mining operates Green’s Creek mine in Alaska where silver, zinc, gold, and lead are extracted. Greens Creek is located within Admiralty Island National Monument, which is an environmentally sensitive area.
See Also:
Alaska Miners Association
Tek Alaska Inc
Climate of Denial