The Trump Administration’s anti-environment agenda continues to roll forward. Recently EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt proposed the withdrawal of environmental protections in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Such action would pave the way for what could be the largest open-pit mine at the headwaters of the most prolific sockeye salmon run left on the planet: the Pebble Mine.
Sockeye salmon are the cornerstone – not only for a fishery and ecosystem – but for the people and businesses that rely on them, including Alaska native tribes for whom the salmon are a central part of the livelihood and cultural heritage.
This isn’t any old watershed and fishery: Bristol Bay is the most productive sockeye salmon ecosystem in the world. The watershed supports the largest sockeye salmon run on the planet, producing 46% of the world’s wild sockeye harvest.
This also isn’t an issue of jobs vs. the environment, it is about saving sustainable jobs that depend upon the salmon. According to Trout Unlimited and the World Wildlife Fund:
Recreation and tourism spending in Bristol Bay bring $90 million annually to the state. Bristol Bay sport fishing alone supports 846 full and part-time jobs and accounts for $27 million in total wages and benefits paid to employees and proprietors. Commercial fishing-related jobs account for nearly 75 percent of local employment. The annual payroll for fish and wildlife-related employment totals $175 million.
While salmon may be the cornerstone, the Bristol Bay watershed also provides vital habitat for 29 fish species, more than 190 bird species, and more than 40 terrestrial animals. Bald eagles, moose, brown bears, rainbow trout, freshwater seals, Pacific walrus, north Pacific right whales and beluga whales all live in the region.
The proposed repeal of protections for Bristol Bay is an extension of the “repeal all things Obama” agenda that seems to drive this Administration. In 2010, led by Alaska Native Tribes, interests including commercial fishing business owners and sportsmen asked the EPA step in to ensure that this mine wouldn't jeopardize Bristol Bay. The EPA responded by listening to over 1.5 million Americans, hosting dozens of community meetings, reviewing Pebble's many detailed filings with state and federal agencies, and conducting a twice peer-reviewed scientific assessment of the potential impacts to the region. They concluded that mining the headwaters of the Bristol Bay could cause irreparable harm to the fishery, wildlife and people. Accordingly, EPA issued a proposed determination restricting the use of certain waters in the Bristol Bay watershed for disposal of dredged or fill material associated with the Pebble Mine.
Now Scott Pruitt wants to reverse that decision and allow the Pebble Mine to move forward. Please take a minute to add your voice in support of protecting Bristol Bay — by the October 17 comment deadline — through this action alert from the good folks at Save Bristol Bay.