TELL THE EPA TO PROTECT BRISTOL BAY PERMANENTLY

For decades, the Pebble Mine has loomed over Alaska’s Bristol Bay, threatening fish, wildlife, and the people that call this watershed home. In November, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a new timeframe for considering whether to permanently protect Bristol Bay and stop the Pebble Mine. As a next step in this process, the EPA just launched a comment period through July 5th on their proposal to finalize permanent protections for Bristol Bay under section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act.

The EPA’s Proposed Determination found that mine waste including dredged or fill material would have “unacceptable adverse effects” for Bristol Bay’s salmon fishery, including the permanent loss of 8.5 miles of streams. This 404(c) authority effectively stops Pebble Mine from being developed and prohibits more than 10.2 billion tons of waste from being permanently disposed of in the Bristol Bay watershed – the most productive sockeye salmon fishery on earth. These are the durable protections hunters, anglers, tribes and commercial fishing companies have been demanding for over a decade.

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