Contact:
Chris Wood, President and CEO, Trout Unlimited, (703) 284-9403
Tim Bristol, Director, TU Alaska Program (907) 321-3291
Rob Masonis, Vice president for Western Conservation, TU, (206) 491-9016
Steve Moyer, Vice president for Government Affairs, TU (703) 284-9406
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Sportsmen Pleased with Decision to put Clean Water Act into Action in Bristol Bay
Provisions within the Act Could Halt Pebble Mine in the Heart of Wild Alaska
WASHINGTON, D.CTrout Unlimited today congratulated the Environmental Protection Agency for putting the Clean Water Act into action and potentially halting the infamous Pebble Mine in the headwaters of Alaskas storied Bristol Bay watershed.
It is difficult to overstate the significance of this announcement. If the EPA follows the science and follows through on this, it will rank as one of the most significant conservation achievements of the past 50 years, said Trout Unlimited president and CEO, Chris Wood. This is one of the few places left on earth where nature works as it should, and its a breadbasket for the world, supplying literally hundreds of thousands of people with wild salmon.
By putting into action Section 404 (c) of the Clean Water Act, the EPA is starting a process that will determine if large-scale mining in the Bristol Bay watershed of southwest Alaska, specifically the Pebble deposit, can co-exist with the areas renewable natural resources, most importantly the waters that provide the spawning and rearing habitat for the worlds largest sockeye salmon, as well as trophy rainbow trout, Dolly Varden, Arctic grayling and four other Pacific salmon species.
An EPA watershed report produced last year makes it clear that mining in this area would damage vital salmon habitat and, in the event of spills or accidents, put that habitat in imminent danger in perpetuity. By putting the process outlined in the Clean Water Act into play, the EPA is setting a very highbut reasonable and appropriatebar for Pebble Mine to get over and prove there wont be impacts to water quality and the regions irreplaceable fishery.
This is a very proactive and thoughtful decision on the part of the EPA, and we at Trout Unlimited join with the millions of sportsmen and women across
America in congratulating Administrator McCarthy for taking this important step, said Steve Moyer, vice president for government affairs. This issue has been our top conservation issue for nearly a decade, and our volunteers from all over the country have worked very hard to get to this point. Were very pleased that the EPA has heard our voices, and we are grateful that it is translating the desires of millions of anglers into action.
Bristol Bays salmon provide upwards of 14,000 jobs in Alaska and the Northwest every single year, and about half of the worlds annual sockeye salmon harvest comes from this region. Additionally, this area of Alaska is known for its unparalleled sportfishingits probably the best place in North America to catch rainbow trout that will stretch a tape to 30 inches or more.
This is the best place in the world to fish for salmon and trout, period, said Tim Bristol, director of TUs Alaska Program. Sportsmen and women from Alaska and all over the United States have led the charge against Pebble Mine and for the protection of Bristol Bays salmon and trout for a long time. To see the process put in place that could protect thousands of long-term jobs in the commercial fishing industry and the opportunity for coming generations to fish for salmon and trout in Alaska is very gratifying. While we wont know the outcome of this process for some time, its clear the EPA is listening to anglers, hunters and the people of Bristol Bay. I hope sportsmen and women all over America will join me in applauding the EPA for taking this bold step.
Trout Unlimited is the nations oldest and largest coldwater fisheries conservation organization dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring North Americas trout and salmon and their watersheds. Follow TU on Facebook and Twitter, and visit us online at tu.org or at savebristolbay.org.