Bristol Bay – Pebble Mine
Submitted By Claude Kistler
On Monday August 24th, 2020, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that the Pebble Mine does not meet Clean Water Act standards, a significant setback for the Pebble Partnerships’ bid for a federal permit.
This is a good week for Bristol Bay, Alaska; for the largest sockeye-salmon run on Earth; for the American businesses, Native and local Alaskan communities that it sustains; and for hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts.
On that Monday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that the Pebble Mine does not meet Clean Water Act standards and cannot be granted its federal permit based on the current proposal.
This is certainly a decision worth celebrating together.
While this is not a full denial—the Pebble Partnership could still receive a permit—it is a significant setback for the mine. The Partnership has 90 days to
submit their plans to fully mitigate all direct and indirect adverse impacts this enormous mine would have on the Bristol Bay region, an area roughly the size of Ohio.
On behalf of Orvis, I want to thank you for your help in recent weeks—and over the last decade—as you have continued to speak up throughout the process in support of a Pebblefree Bristol Bay.
Together we have worked tirelessly—alongside Trout Unlimited, industry partners, native Alaskan tribes, local communities, scientists, and conservationists—to keep this unique part of the world pristine. We join the commercial fishing industry, mining experts, environmentalists, economists, federal officials, hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts in the firmly held belief that Pebble is the wrong mine in the wrong place. This decision is an
important reminder of what we are able to accomplish when we come together to protect the wild places that define a traditional way of life, fuel our passions, and unite us.
Today we celebrate. Tomorrow we go back to work to ensure that Pebble is gone for good and that Bristol Bay has long-term protections for generations to come.
Our message must be clear: We cannot allow a foreign mining company proposing 2,000 jobs to threaten Bristol Bay’s thriving ecosystem, which sustains a $1.6 billion fishing industry, 14,000 sustainable American jobs, and communities of cultural and environmental significance.
Over the next 90 days, it is critical that we continue to remind the White House that the Pebble Mine is not worth the risk. They are listening and showing a willingness to act. Please take 30 seconds to tell President Trump that we cannot risk such an important American asset.