More than 200 attendees expressed opposition to the proposal, wearing their message on shirts and stickers, and waving anti-mine signs. During public testimony, 48 people spoke against the mine using arguments based upon substance and values--in contrast to representatives from the resource development council and Usibelli who predictably recited nothing but coal company talking points about jobs.
The day before the hearing, the Sierra Club hosted a press conference featuring local moms, property owners, a Chickaloon Village Traditional Council Leader, and a doctor. This was a great opportunity for the community to come together to express in a unified voice concerns about the proposed mine.
The large turnout for the hearing and community dialogue over the mine received extensive coverage from the Alaska Dispatch, Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, Alaska Public Radio, KTVA 11, and KTUU-TV.