It’s possibly been a while since you’ve seen any news about the threat of the proposed Pebble Mine.
Pebble is still trying to advance their massive project in the headwaters of the world’s most productive wild salmon fishery, but they continue to face strong headwinds. Pebble sued both the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (over the denial of a critical permit) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (over the agency’s use of the Clean Water Act) and those lawsuits have been hanging out there for a while.
But very recently (February 18), the U.S. Department of Justice filed a legal brief officially defending the EPA’s action. This is a major development. Pebble’s stock dropped precipitously (down as much as 45%) in the wake of this announcement from the DOJ. The case now seems likely headed to a lengthy legal battle. (Read more at the Anchorage Daily News and Outdoor Life.)
While actions at the federal level remain centered in court proceedings, a bill has been introduced in the Alaska state legislature to enact additional protections for a broader swath of land in the Bristol Bay region at the state level.
The Bristol Bay Forever Act (HB 233) builds on existing protections for the Bristol Bay Fisheries Reserve, a boundary area encompassing the majority of Bristol Bay’s major watersheds, created in 1972 by the state legislature and Governor Jay Hammond to protect the region from the potential harms of oil and gas development. The Bristol Bay Forever Act would add a provision to these existing protections, banning metallic sulfide mining—the type of mining most harmful to salmon—from occurring anywhere within the reserve.
Anyone from Alaska should urge his/her legislators to support this bill. And for those outside Alaska, tell anyone you know in Alaska to do the same. It’s easy to learn more and take action here.
Guest Post by Scott Hed
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