Saving Seafood

State now has an opportunity to veto Pebble Mine. Pebble foes aren’t getting their hopes up.

August 31, 2020 — Opponents of the Pebble Mine say it’s not enough that the Army Corps of Engineers announced last week that the project, as proposed, can’t get a wetlands permit. Anti-Pebble advocates want a veto. The Environmental Protection Agency has that power. And as of this week, the state has that authority, too. But it won’t last long.

The Corps of Engineers has asked the state for a “certificate of reasonable assurance” that the Pebble Mine will comply with federal and state water quality laws. The Army Corps can’t grant Pebble’s permit if the state refuses to issue that certification.

Salmon State campaign strategist Lindsey Bloom says the state should seize the moment.

“This is the state of Alaska’s one and only opportunity in the Clean Water Act permitting process to really red-light or green-light the permit,” said Bloom, a commercial fisherman from Juneau who works on salmon conservation issues.

As she and other Pebble opponents see it, the mine can’t meet Alaska water quality standards because, according to the environmental report the Army Corps released in July, the mine and its transportation corridor would impact nearly 200 miles of streams and thousands of acres of wetlands.

Read the full story at KTOO

ANDY SABIN: The conservative case against developing Alaska’s Pebble Mine

August 28, 2020 — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this week warned that the proposed Pebble project — a vast gold and copper mine near the headwaters of Alaska’s Bristol Bay — was impossible to build without causing significant damage to the region’s pristine waters and salmon fishery.

The Corps stopped short of halting the mine but found the developer, the Pebble Limited Partnership, was unlikely to meet the level of mitigation that would be required under the Clean Water Act to offset the impact on wetlands.

The Trump administration has now done what the previous administration would not — it gave the proposed Pebble project full consideration under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). While the previous administration pre-judged the project with an unprecedented preemptive veto, the Trump U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and all cooperating agencies have given it a full review.

It is time for President Donald Trump to be the decider. Given an already strong conservation record, President Trump should instruct his agencies to declare the Pebble project unworkable. 

I am a miner and a fisherman. I am also a dedicated conservationist who believes that we have a duty as conservatives to leave this great land better than we found it. I am also a staunch supporter of the president and his policies.

Read the full story at The Hill

ALASKA: Pebble mine must now clear an unusually high hurdle before it can be developed, experts say

August 28, 2020 — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Monday left a narrow path toward construction of the proposed Pebble mine in Southwest Alaska, setting stricter requirements for its development than for other big projects in Alaska, according to people familiar with permitting laws.

Whether mine developer Pebble Limited Partnership can meet the requirement will determine whether the controversial project can be built.

Following statements from prominent supporters of President Donald Trump expressing opposition to the mine proposal, including Donald Trump Jr., the Trump administration this week announced Pebble can’t be permitted “as currently proposed” under the federal Clean Water Act.

The copper and gold prospect could be worth tens of billions of dollars over its life, but critics say its location in the Bristol Bay region poses a risk to the valuable salmon fishery there.

Read the full story at the Anchorage Daily News

Corps sets conditions for Pebble Mine that may be impossible to meet

August 26, 2020 — The Army Corps of Engineers has not killed the proposed Pebble Mine — just issued a letter imposing conditions that may be impossible to meet.

Mine opponents say the Corps is finally listening to fishermen and the people of Bristol Bay who say the mine threatens the salmon and their way of life.

In an emailed statement, Bristol Bay Native Corporation President Jason Metrokin said the Pebble Partnership “has never, even after decades of planning and outreach, been able to prove that it can be built and operated without causing significant degradation to the Bristol Bay region and its fisheries.”

The Corps’ letter outlines what Pebble’s developers would have to do to mitigate damage to wetlands and streams.

Read the full story at KTOO

Rep. Huffman Statement on Pebble Mine Permitting Decision

August 26, 2020 — The following was released by The Office of Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA):

Today, Representative Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) issued the following statement regarding the United States Army Corps of Engineers announcement to delay the permitting decision for the proposed Pebble Mine project in Bristol Bay, Alaska:

“Delaying the permit for the Pebble Mine is welcome news, but let’s be clear: the only reason this environmental atrocity came this close to happening is because the Trump administration is a favor factory for polluting industries,” said Rep. Huffman. “The previously rejected permit was revived and fast-tracked by this administration, and the only reason they finally hit the pause button is because – thankfully – some individuals close to President Trump made a personal appeal. We can welcome the outcome, but let’s not confuse any of this with environmental stewardship or good government.”

Representative Huffman led 53 of his colleagues last June in a letter to the United States Army Corps of Engineers urging them to deny the flawed permit for the proposed Pebble Mine project in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Rep. Huffman has continued to be a vocal opponent of the project, including leading amendments in both the FY2020 and FY2021 appropriations bills barring the federal government from moving forward with the flawed permit. Both amendments passed the U.S. House of Representatives.

 

Alaska Pebble Mine opposed by Trump Jr. hit with unexpected setback

August 25, 2020 — The federal government Monday announced that a controversial copper and gold mine in Alaska would cause substantial environment damage, could not receive a permit with its current proposed plan, and ordered the company to offset those impacts in order for the project to move forward.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sent a letter to Pebble Limited Partnership, the company behind the proposed mine, that said the footprint of the mine’s adverse impacts would cover nearly 3,000 acres of wetlands, 132.5 acres of open water and 130 miles of streams, along with areas affected by other infrastructure. Pebble has 90 days to reply with a plan to mitigate the damage.

While the letter does not outright block the mine, environmentalists and former officials call it a significant setback for the project that has in recent weeks attracted opposition from prominent Republicans including the President’s son, Donald Trump Jr., Vice President Mike Pence’s former chief of staff Nick Ayers, and Fox News’ Tucker Carlson. The Army Corps said in a statement that the project “as currently proposed, cannot be permitted” under the Clean Water Act.

Read the full story at CNN

Senator Cantwell Statement in Response to Army Corps of Engineers Blocking Pebble Mine

August 25, 2020 — The following was released by The Office of Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA):

Today, Senator Cantwell issued the following statement in response to the Army Corps of Engineers’ decision that the Pebble Mine project in Alaska’s Bristol Bay cannot move forward as proposed due to the substantial adverse environmental impacts the project could have on the Bristol Bay watershed:

“The Trump Administration and the Army Corp of Engineers finally said what scientists, fishermen, sportsmen, Tribal leaders, and restaurateurs have been saying all along — a mine at Bristol Bay would kill too many salmon and is an unacceptable place for mining. There is nothing Pebble Mine can say or do to mitigate an unmitigated disaster.

“I am so glad Alaskan and Washington Senators agree that protecting salmon habitat is critical. Those who care about the northwest economy must be diligent about continuing to fight the Pebble Mine.”

Senator Cantwell has been leading the fight to protect Alaska’s Bristol Bay—one of the largest salmon fisheries in the world—and the fishermen and industries that rely on these salmon.  The seafood sector makes up 60 percent of the 30 billion dollar maritime economy in Washington state, which as a whole supports over 146,000 jobs.

Cantwell has been vocal about the disasters that Pebble Mine would bring to the Pacific Northwest, repeatedlycriticizing various members of the administration for downplaying the threat of the mine. In October of 2017, Cantwell and other members of the Washington state congressional delegation urged President Trump to listen to Washington fishermen and businesses before removing protections from Bristol Bay. In May 2018, Cantwellcalled on the Trump administration to hold public meetings in Washington state on the proposal and increase transparency for the permitting process. In July 2019, Cantwell slammed the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw protections for Bristol Bay. And just last month, Senator Cantwell criticized an environmental analysis released by the Trump administration that said the proposed Pebble Mine would not post a serious environmental threat.

Northern Dynasty’s U.S. unit denies report Alaska mine project to be blocked

August 24, 2020 — The U.S. unit of diversified Canadian miner Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd on Saturday denied a media report that said the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump plans to block its proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska early next week.

Politico reported here earlier on Saturday that Trump was planning to block the proposed Pebble Mine, which environmentalists argue would damage the surrounding salmon-rich habitat, and the people and wildlife that depend on it.

“We firmly believe that the implication pushed by Politico that the White House is going to kill the project is clearly in error, likely made by a rush to publish rather than doing the necessary diligence to track down the full story”, Pebble Limited Partnership said in a statement.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) office in Alaska is planning to hold a conference call on Monday with groups connected to the proposed mine to discuss its decision, Politico reported, citing people familiar with the plans.

Read the full story at Reuters

Republican push to block controversial Alaskan gold mine gains the White House’s attention

August 21, 2020 — Federal approval of a controversial gold and copper mine in Alaska that would be the largest in North America may be put on hold after a small group of influential Republicans — including the president’s son, Fox News host Tucker Carlson, a wealthy Trump donor and one of the vice president’s former top aides — launched a full-court press to block the project.

The proposed Pebble Mine was on the verge of winning a key permit from the Trump administration despite concerns from environmentalists that it could significantly damage Alaska’s world-renowned sockeye salmon fishery in nearby Bristol Bay.

That also happens to be a fishing spot of Donald Trump Jr., who made an impassioned case against the mine to his father during an early August fundraiser he hosted at his Bridgehampton, N.Y., home. Andrew Sabin, a Trump donor who was at the seaside gathering, also told the president that the mine was a bad idea. And last week, Carlson argued against the proposed mine on his television show.

Read the full story at The Washington Post

GINA FRICCERO: Why risk the crown jewel of Alaska’s fisheries?

August 20, 2020 — This year has left a lot of us starving for good news. Well, I’ve got some: Once again, for the sixth year in a row, more than 50 million sockeye salmon returned to Bristol Bay, eclipsing any other wild salmon run on the planet.

What could be better than wild salmon that return in numbers vast enough to sustain the health of thriving Yup’ik, Alutiiq and Dena’ina communities; a $1.5 billion a year commercial fishing industry with 14,000 jobs; world-class sportfishing that people travel from around the world to experience; and a bear viewing industry that injects more than $34 million into the economy each year — especially since, if we can only prevent the destruction of the watershed that makes it possible, those benefits could last forever?

For generations, my family has been blessed to benefit from this incredible natural wonder. I started tendering in Bristol Bay in the summer of 1975. That was the year Limited Entry was going on the ballot. I got lucky and found a boat and permit for a good deal. I met my husband in 1980, we started fishing together in ‘81, and he has been running a boat in Bristol Bay every year since way back then. This season, he, our daughter and the rest of the Bristol Bay fleet again worked tirelessly to provide for our family and for America’s food security.

Read the full opinion piece at the Juneau Empire