PEBBLE MINE UPDATE
AS MANY OF YOU KNOW , there is a strong effort under way to get the Obama Administration to use its authority under the Clean Water Act to prevent mega-mining like the proposed Pebble project in Bristol Bay ’ s clean , healthy watershed . Some may wonder why Alaska Natives , commercial fishermen and sportsmen have pressed for this federal help , but the reasons are clear . In the great 2012 Frontline television documentary on this issue , an employee of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources says that if the foreign backers of Pebble Mine bring a mining application , they will receive the required state permits . Alaska ’ s regulations are geared toward reaching a “ yes ,” with scant chance of a denial . Plus , there are currently multiple efforts under way in Alaska ’ s state legislature to loosen mining regulations and permitting processes even more , so the only clear way to protect this national treasure is to have the federal government recognize its importance and value to our entire country .
The process is well under way . The Environmental Protection Agency released a 15-month long study called the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment in May 2012 . This 330-page report described Bristol Bay ’ s incredible natural resources , thriving commercial fishery and outdoor recreation . It concluded that digging up the Pebble deposit of copper , gold and molybdenum will destroy up to 87 miles of salmon streams and up to 4,300 acres of wetland salmon habitat . And that ’ s in
“ . . . digging up the pebble deposit of copper , gold and molybdenum will destroy up to 87 miles of salmon streams and up to 4,300 acres of wetland salmon habitat .”
a perfect world - giving the developers every benefit of every doubt , without common leaks and spills that build up , and certainly without a major catastrophic breach of the nine linear miles of gigantic earthen dams that are supposed to hold back up to 10 billion tons of toxic mine waste for 20,000 years or more . That ’ s right , the mine backers expect people to
Alaska ’ s Bristol Bay boasts one of the strongest and healthiest populations of rainbow trout thanks to its clean watersheds and healthy salmon populations .
believe that they will store , treat and monitor this waste , “ in perpetuity .” At least radioactive nuclear waste has a half-life . And if something does go horribly wrong and these foreign developers aren ’ t able to pay for the damages ? Well , there ’ s always the American taxpayer to fall back on as we pay for another Superfund site .
If the Pebble project were to move forward , these toxins would seriously threaten the Kvichak and Nushagak river drainages – two of the most productive salmon systems on the planet . But , any release of this waste into the complex system of interchanging surface and groundwater has the potential to severely harm Bristol Bay ’ s salmon and the livelihoods of the sport fishing and hunting business owners , all of whom depend on them for their economic support .
LATEST ON PEBBLE MINE So , here ’ s where we are now . The EPA has decided to conduct a second peer review of the science in its Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment . They want to be sure that their facts and analysis are airtight , so they ’ re having an independent panel of science experts look over the document for a second time . Then , they ’ ll put out that final draft for public comments . And , it will be our turn to weigh in . We ’ re going to need anglers , hunters , outdoorsmen and people all across the country to fill out an easy form and let the EPA know that you support its work recognizing Bristol Bay as a fishery of global value and scale – one that cannot be sacrificed to an open-pit mine that would be 20 times larger than ALL of the mines in Alaska combined .
The EPA will likely release this updated draft sometime in late spring , and conservation groups involved in the fight will send out the clarion call to raise your voice . After the comment period is over , EPA will finish and release the complete Assessment and it will be up to the decision makers at the White House to show that President Obama has some skin in the game when it comes to his conservation commitment and priorities important to sportsmen . Bristol Bay is truly an opportunity for President Obama to create a lasting conservation legacy in the vain of Theodore Roosevelt . It goes without saying that anglers and hunters are expecting some political courage and leadership from him in his second term .
The President needs to understand that tens of thousands of people of all political stripes — conservative and liberal , business folks and environmentalists , developers and jim klug photo
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