It’s time to act! We can save the most intact salmon habitat on Planet Earth before it’s too late. Write EPA Region 10 Administrator Chris Hladick TODAY and tell him to veto Pebble Mine and prevent the destruction of the Bristol Bay salmon runs.
The Trump administration has helped revive Pebble Mine, a project that could devastate Bristol Bay—the most productive salmon fishery in all of Alaska, and the largest sockeye salmon fishery in the world. Pebble Mine is a proposed massive open-pit copper and gold mine that would be located in the headwaters of Bristol Bay. The destruction of habitat by the mine, as well as the constant threat of the release of toxic by-products of mining, threaten the salmon fishery and communities that rely on it.
Bristol Bay’s watershed is the most ecologically and economically important remaining salmon fishery on Earth. The Pebble Mine will directly impact 10,744 acres of wetlands and 335 miles of streams. Development of the Pebble Mine will require 10.2 billion tons of toxic waste to be stored at the headwaters of Bristol Bay.
After years of studies, public comment opportunities, reviews, denials, and various permitting processes, the Army Corps of Engineers released its final environmental review of the Pebble Mine on July 24. Ignoring thousands of comments and sound science, and reversing EPA’s denial of the project in 2014, the Army Corps’ final environmental analysis concluded that Pebble Mine “would not be expected to have a measurable effect on fish numbers.”
Supporters of the mine claim it will create new jobs, but economists project the value of the mine at negative $3 billion, and four major mining companies have already backed out of partnerships with Pebble because the numbers just don’t pencil out. Even if the project were profitable, the mine is only projected to operate for 20 years and support a small fraction of the number of fishing jobs it would destroy.
Thousands of fishermen and 31 Alaska Native tribes depend on a healthy Bristol Bay every day. “Many people retrieve drinking water directly from the rivers in this pristine region and do not have access to municipal water systems,” says Skye Steritz, program manager at Copper River Delta Sound Waterkeeper. “These Alaska Native communities rely on healthy salmon and clean water for their spiritual sustenance as well as their physical survival. For them, Pebble Mine represents cultural genocide. The loss of these deep, meaningful, and intact wild salmon ways of life would be a devastating tragedy for all of humanity. “
We have one last chance to save Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed, its world-renowned salmon runs, and its Native communities. Take action today to stop Pebble Mine from destroying this vital and pristine landscape.
With your help, we can save the most intact salmon habitat on Planet Earth before it’s too late. Write EPA Region 10 Administrator Chris Hladick TODAY and tell him to veto Pebble Mine and prevent the destruction of the Bristol Bay salmon runs.