Donlin Gold has hired a new general manager. Andy Cole, Executive Director of parent company Barrick Gold, is taking over for Stan Foo. The transition will occur over the next few months and extend into the new year.
As Executive Director, Cole managed permitting and community relations for Barrick. Previously, he managed the company's gold mines in Nevada: Ruby Hill and Gold Strike. Donlin has hired Cole to take its proposed project through the final environmental impact statement and into operation. He’ll be based in Anchorage.
As these changes are occurring, Donald Trump is preparing to take over the White House and developers are wondering if mining regulations will change under a new administration. Cole says he doesn’t have any predictions, but he does have hopes.
“If they can improve processes, improve timelines to get projects on quicker, I think that’s going to only benefit Alaska,” Cole said.
Also on the national stage, Cole says the Standing Rock protest in North Dakota opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline highlights the importance of continuing communication between the Donlin project and YK Delta communities.
"What I see is more of a difference [with Donlin] than went on in the [Dakota Access] pipeline is involving all stake holders, being transparent, being open and honest in what are the concerns, and being honest in addressing those,” Cole said.
Outgoing general manager Stan Foo started in the position in 2011 and led the Donlin Gold project through the mine site’s initial development and the draft environmental impact statement. That involved visiting YK Delta communities and gathering information and concerns on the proposed mine, and it involved Donlin supplying information to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for them to create a document on the project’s possible and perceived environmental impacts.
Currently, the Army Corps is reviewing public comments on that document and is set to produce a final version in early 2018. Donlin is providing information to the Army Corps as it responds to these comments.
