Profile: Lawrence and Judy Heilman

Lawrence and Judy Heilman, Beluga Residents

“We’re trying to protect our homes, our lifestyles, and the fish and game resources that we depend on,” said Judy Heilman.  “The vast majority of the residents of Beluga and Tyonek oppose a coal strip mine; it will destroy our way of life.  We depend on intact habitats for clean water, healthy salmon, and the important hunting and subsistence opportunities that sustain us.”

Judy and Lawrence Heilman live 45 miles west of Alaska’s largest city Anchorage, across Cook Inlet in the small community of Beluga, population 32. Beluga, and neighboring Tyonek, population 199 are off the road system, the only way to reach these communities is by small airplane or boat.

Despite overwhelming local opposition PacRim Coal and its wealthy Texas investors Richard D. Bass, Herbert Hunt and the Hunt Trust are pursuing development of the Chuitna coal strip mine less than 10 miles from Beluga and Tyonek.  The 12 mile coal transport conveyor and accompanying infrastructure would run within a few hundred yards of the residential subdivision in Beluga, inundating the small community with coal dust and the constant clamor of industrial equipment.

Strip mining is inherently destructive and current plans submitted by PacRim call for the direct mining of 11 miles of a salmon bearing tributary to the Chuitna River. This would be the first large mine in Alaska permitted to directly mine a salmon stream, a dangerous precedent with far reaching implications.   Additional adjacent leases held by PacRim, along with adjacent and nearby coal leases held by Barrick Gold Company combine for 60 square miles of threaten wildlife habitat straddling the Chuitna River.

The Heilmans have chosen to retire here where Lawrence worked for the local electric company’s natural gas power plant for 27 years.  Lawrence bought property here in 1976 and hand built the log home he and Judy live in today. This relatively undisturbed area hosts a variety of wildlife including moose, brown and black bears, wolves, beaver, mink, martin, and wolverine.  Through the heart of this Alaskan wilderness flows the Chuitna River, one of northern Cook Inlet’s most productive salmon rivers supporting all five wild pacific salmon species; king, chums, silvers, pinks, and reds in addition to trout and steelhead.

The cost to Alaskans couldn’t be higher.  Aside from devastating thousands of acres of prime fish, moose, and bear habitat just to feed the growing energy demands of booming Asian economies, this proposed Chuitna coal strip mine would result in millions of tons of CO₂ emissions while trading wild Alaskan salmon for dirty coal.