Throughout the past decade, sportfishing businesses and outfitters have played an integral role in helping fight the ill-conceived, proposed Pebble mine in the headwaters of Bristol Bay, Alaska. Business owners, guides, and members of the sportfishing industry have stood next to commercial fishermen, chefs and Alaska Native leaders in sending a clear message to elected officials and decision makers that a line must be drawn in the sand, the proposed Pebble Mine is too big of a threat to the fish, jobs, and people of Bristol Bay and therefore must be stopped.
In December 2017, Northern Dynasty filed for their 404 Wetlands Dredge and Fill Permit, one of the critical permits that they need to operate the mine and more specifically, rip up wetlands and fill them with mine waste. By filing for their 404 permit, Pebble’s backers officially kicked off the permitting process for the project and transitioned our efforts to save Bristol Bay from pre-season practice into the regular season – every comment period and action is now hyper critical in order to stop this project.
Though we’ve spoken up dozens of times before, we must continue to be engaged and vocal throughout this process, add your name to our sign on letter encouraging the Army Corps of Engineers to suspend the permitting process due to Pebble’s lack of scientific data today! Email Nelli Williams at nwilliams@tu.org by 2:00 pm Alaska time on June 28th to have your name added to the business sign on.
In April 2018, the Army Corps of Engineers opened the public scoping process to guide the environmental impacts statement associated with the 404 Wetlands Permit, which is the most important component of the NEPA review. From the plans that the developers of the proposed Pebble Mine submitted, it is clear that they cannot develop the project without having a substantial impact to fish habitat and the landscape of Bristol Bay. Pebble’s current mining plan, which they have noted is subject to change, includes:
-
A mile-wide and 1/3-mile-deep mine pit
-
Filling over 4,000 acres of wetlands with mine waste
-
83-mile-long transportation corridor with more than 200 road crossings over salmon streams
-
A year-round ice-breaking ferry across Lake Illiamna
-
A new deep-water port facility
-
A 230-megawatt power plant with a 188-mile gas pipeline
-
A 1.5 billion-ton mine with a 20-year mine life, we know the deposit is close to 10.9 billion tons and that Pebble intends to expand its operations far beyond what it originally proposed.
The impacts of the proposed Pebble Mine are alarming for fish and would fully change what is currently wilderness into an industrial mining district. Pebble’s plans are severely lacking in the scientific data necessary to fully assess their impact. The Army Corps of Engineers’ scoping process for the proposed Pebble Mine closes TODAY, June 29. Trout Unlimited and our supportive businesses are calling on the Army Corps to suspend the process because the information Pebble has provided is inadequate for a quality scientific review.
Now is the time to stand for Bristol Bay — will your business or organization join us in urging the Army Corp to send Pebble back to the drawing board? Please read the sign on letter below and contact nwilliams@tu.org to sign on by Thursday at 2:00 p.m. Alaska time!
Thank you for your ongoing support of fish habitat conservation in Alaska,
— Trout Unlimited Alaska
Please visit this site to read the business sign-on letter, and add your business’ name asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to put the brakes on this incomplete, inadequate proposal by the folks behind the proposed Pebble Mine.