Bristol Bay: EPA's Scott Pruitt met with mining CEO - CNNPolitics

Bristol Bay, a wetland area in southwest Alaska, is home to one of the world's most productive salmon fisheries.

(CNN)Within hours of meeting with a mining company CEO, the new head of the US Environmental Protection Agency directed his staff to withdraw a plan to protect the watershed of Bristol Bay, Alaska, one of the most valuable wild salmon fisheries on Earth, according to interviews and government emails obtained by CNN.

The meeting between EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and Tom Collier, CEO of Pebble Limited Partnership, took place on May 1, Collier and his staff confirmed in an interview with CNN. At 10:36 a.m. that same day, the EPA's acting general counsel, Kevin Minoli, sent an email to agency staff saying the administrator had "directed" the agency to withdraw an Obama-era proposal to protect the ecologically valuable wetland in southwest Alaska from certain mining activities. 

In 2014, after three years of peer-reviewed study, the Obama administration's EPA invoked a rarely used provision of the Clean Water Act to try to protect Bristol Bay after finding that a mine "would result in complete loss of fish habitat due to elimination, dewatering, and fragmentation of streams, wetlands, and other aquatic resources" in some areas of the bay. 

"All of these losses would be irreversible," the agency said. 

The area is regarded as one of the world's most important salmon fisheries, producing nearly half of the world's annual sockeye salmon catch. Its ecological resources also support 4,000-year-old indigenous cultures, as well as about 14,000 full- and part-time jobs, according to the EPA's 2014 report…

more: Bristol Bay: EPA's Scott Pruitt met with mining CEO - CNNPolitics

Save Bristol Bay | Tell EPA to Protect Bristol Bay

Save Bristol Bay –Tell EPA that Bristol Bay is too special for Pebble Mine!

OFFICIAL EPA COMMENT PERIOD OPEN:

Tell them Bristol Bay is too special for Pebble Mine

petition: SIGN NOW

Action Alert

EPA COMMENT PERIOD OPEN: Tell them Bristol Bay, Alaska is too important to risk

The EPA is trying to pave the way for Pebble - a mining company that wants to build a massive open pit mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska near some of our nation's most precious waters. The agency has proposed to erase protections that over a million Americans supported.

Please add your voice to the official EPA comment period and, if you are in Alaska, tell your decision makers in Congress that Pebble Mine is the wrong mine, in the wrong place.

Save Bristol Bay – Tell EPA that Bristol Bay is too special for Pebble Mine!

OFFICIAL EPA COMMENT PERIOD OPEN:

Tell them Bristol Bay is too special for Pebble Mine

SIGN NOW: Home — Save Bristol Bay

Trump's EPA Chooses Foreign Mining Interests Over Critical Alaska Watershed | Common Dreams

"If the Trump administration's strategy is to put a foreign mining company first—and America's greatest wild salmon fishery dead last—then sadly it's succeeding"

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under President Donald Trump has shelved a lawsuit against a proposed Canadian gold and copper mine that would endanger Alaska's Bristol Bay watershed, allowing the mining company to revive the controversial Pebble Mine project.

"If the Trump administration's strategy is to put a foreign mining company first—and America's greatest wild salmon fishery dead last—then sadly it's succeeding," wrote the NRDC's (Natural Resources Defense Council) Taryn Kiekow Heimer.

The legal settlement was reached late Thursday, the Washington Post reported, and reverses an Obama-era determination that Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. could not apply to a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers for the project because Pebble Mine would cause "significant near- and long-term risk to salmon, wildlife, and Native Alaska cultures" in the region. The EPA's 2014 decision has now been removed from its website.

Alannah Hurley, executive director of the United Tribes of Bristol Bay, told the WashingtonPost that local Alaskans who have spent years opposing the mine "are outraged that this is happening…"

more: Trump's EPA Chooses Foreign Mining Interests Over Critical Alaska Watershed | Common Dreams

Federal Judge Blocks Review Of Alaska Mine's Impact On Salmon | ThinkProgress

‘King Salmon’, United States, Alaska, Naknek, Bristol Bay, 2013. 

CREDIT: FLICKR/ CHRIS FORD

A federal judge has dealt a procedural blow to the EPA’s efforts to protect a remote part of Alaska from the impacts of what could be the largest copper and cold mine in North America. On Monday, Judge H. Russel Holland of the U.S. District Court of Alaska issued a preliminary injunction in favor the Pebble Mine’s efforts to block the EPA, thus preventing the EPA from taking further steps in its Clean Water Act (CWA) review process. Under section 404(c) of the CWA, the EPA has the authority to veto projects in the interest of protecting important rivers and wetlands. Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed, where the mine would be located is the most productive wild sockeye salmon fishery in the world, and native tribes and environmentalists want the mine halted.

The EPA initiated the 404(c) process to stop the mine earlier this year, alleging the Pebble Mine would have significant and irreversible negative impacts on the Bristol Bay watershed. According to the EPA, it has used this authority sparingly, and typically with major projects that could have “significant impacts on some of America’s most ecologically valuable waters...”

more: Federal Judge Blocks Review Of Alaska Mine's Impact On Salmon | ThinkProgress

Stop Pebble Mine - Deadline looming!

NOW ONLY 4 DAYS TO GO! PLEASE SIGN ALL THREE OF THESE PETITIONS NOW -

1. www.savebristolbay.org/takeaction

2. http://action.sumofus.org/a/pebble-mine-save-salmon-epa/

3. https://secure.nrdconline.org/

savebristolbay.org/takeaction ---

Tell EPA to Take Action to Protect Bristol Bay Help TU Protect Bristol Bay, Alaska -- home to one of the largest wild salmon fisheries on the planet

Bristol Bay, Alaska is home to one of the last great salmon fisheries on the planet. The salmon, wildlife, people and fishing jobs of this beautiful and productive region are threatened by the proposed Pebble gold and copper mine. If built, Pebble could become the largest mine in North America.

We have an unprecedented opportunity to stop this mine and protect Bristol Bay's fish and jobs through the Clean Water Act.

Take action now by sending a comment to the EPA on their Proposed Determination for 404(c) action that would stop Pebble mine. Ask EPA to complete the Clean Water Act 404(c) process and protect Bristol Bay.

The EPA can stop Pebble Mine and save the sockeye salmon | SumOfUs

The world’s largest wild sockeye salmon run is in grave danger. Rather than protect this precious Alaskan ecosystem, a mining corporation wants to turn it into a massive gold and copper mine. Now, we have just 96 hours to strike the final nail in the coffin of this dangerous proposal. 

Following a huge SumOfUs campaign and mounting community pressure, mining giant Rio Tinto has already pulled out. Now, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) is asking the public to comment on proposed restrictions that would save the salmon run and protect 14,000 Alaskan jobs. 

The EPA is taking a stand despite political pressure to approve the mine, using a rarely used provision because the damage from the would be unprecedented.We need to speak out now so the EPA knows the public wants the Pebble Mine rejected, too.

Public comments close Friday, and the Alaskan elders most affected by this mine will personally deliver our comments before then. Can you add your voice to stop the Pebble Mine now?

The public overwhelmingly wants the EPA to reject Pebble Mine. In a previous comments period, 85% of Alaskans, and 73% of other Americans, supported EPA action to protect Bristol Bay. And it’s a no brainer -- the proposed Pebble Mine threatens to pollute miles of pristine streams and wetlands in and around Bristol Bay, the home of 40 million sockeye salmon. The Bay supplies nearly 50 percent of the world’s commercial sockeye, generates $480 million in annual revenue, and supports 14,000 jobs a year.

The last time we spoke out against Pebble Mine, 180,000 SumOfUs members called on mining giant Rio Tinto to pull out of the mine. Then, we helped fundraise to get Alaskan native leaders to Rio Tinto’s annual shareholder meeting in London. And Rio Tinto saw the writing on the wall, and acted! Just as the leaders arrived to make a huge media show, Rio Tinto announced that it would divest from Pebble. It was a huge win for SumOfUs, our friends at Earthworks, and especially the Alaskan communities most affected by the mine. The mining giant’s divestment sent the prospects of the mine crashing -- and weakened the ability of the Pebble Mine owners to put pressure on the EPA to give them the go-ahead.

The EPA wants to do the right thing, despite Republican backlash against its proposal. We can’t let the EPA waver in its commitment to protect the mine. That means we need to speak out now to give the EPA the political support it needs to reject the mine.

Take action to ask the EPA to reject Pebble mine and save the home of 40 million sockeye salmon and the 14,000 jobs in Bristol Bay.

They said MT. POLLEY MINE was safe! - YouTube

Tell EPA to Reject the Pebble Mine! - Take Action!: NRDC's Save BioGems

The devastating spill of billions of gallons of toxic water and mining waste at the Mount Polley mine in British Columbia could be repeated in Bristol Bay, Alaska if we don't tell the EPA to stop the Pebble Mine.

Urge EPA to slam the door on the Pebble Mine and protect the Bristol Bay wilderness from destruction.

Are pro-mining forces trying to sway the EPA on a massive proposed mine in Alaska? #NoPebbleMine

#NoPebbleMine ::

Global mining giants—including the Anglo American and Rio Tinto corporations—want to gouge one of the world’s largest open-pit gold and copper mines out of Alaska’s incomparable Bristol Bay wilderness.

The Competitive Enterprise Institute is beind 99.25% of the pro-mining comments.

Are pro-mining forces trying to sway the Environmental Protection Agency on Pebble Mine?

Last month, I reported on the potential environmental threats posed by the massive proposed gold and copper mine in Alaska. The EPA conducted a watershed analysis, released in April, that showed that the mine would endanger rivers and the Bristol Bay, as well as the region's salmon fishery. The EPA extended the comment period through the end of June, allowing more time for the public to weigh in.

A number of organizations, both pro- and anti-Pebble, had circulated mass mailings asking supporters to comment. You've seen the type; they're form letters that people can sign onto via email. As of Friday, pro-mining groups had generated 118,294 comments from those mass mailings. But 117,401 of those comments—or 99.25 percent—came from a single group called Resourceful Earth...

MORE > Are pro-mining forces trying to sway the EPA on a massive proposed mine in Alaska? http://t.co/18KvzRMUbZ by @kate_sheppard (via @MotherJones)

TAKE ACTION

1> PETITION > Pebble Mine Project Endangers Bristol Bay, Alaska | Save BioGems

2 > PETITION > Take Action Today | www.SaveBristolBay.org

3 > SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS to EPA before JUNE 30! SEE wildsalmoncenter.org

• see also

Proposed Pebble Mine stirs opposition > blogs.seattletimes.com/opinion

West Coast senators want Alaska’s Bristol Bay protected > http://blogs.seattletimes.com/

Bristol Bay - Running Line - American Angler Magazine

what next: tag = Pebble Mine: Global mining giants—including the Anglo American and Rio Tinto corporations—want to gouge one of the world’s largest open-pit gold and copper mines out of Alaska’s incomparable Bristol Bay wilderness.

PEBBLE MINE | Mining Crimes: Alaska

Mining Crimes

Global mining giants—including the Anglo American and Rio Tinto corporations—want to gouge one of the world’s largest open-pit gold and copper mines out of Alaska’s incomparable Bristol Bay wilderness.

STOP THE PEBBLE MINE!
FOREIGN COMPANIES THREATEN AN AMERICAN PARADISE WITH 10 BILLION TONS OF MINING WASTE.

TAKE ACTION 1 > Pebble Mine Project Endangers Bristol Bay, Alaska | Save BioGems

2 > Take Action Today | www.SaveBristolBay.org

see also:
TELL RIO TINTO THAT NO MEANS NO - Take Action!: NRDC's Save BioGems Despite overwhelming local opposition, foreign mining giant Rio Tinto is pressing forward with plans to build a gargantuan, open-pit gold and copper mine above Alaska's Bristol Bay -- threatening the world's greatest sockeye salmon runs and the very last 284 beluga whales of Cook Inlet.

Bristol Bay - Running Line - American Angler Magazine

American Angler:  Most of our readers are familiar with the issues surrounding the proposed Pebble Mine in the Bristol Bay watershed. For those who are not, can you provide some background information to quickly catch them up?

Scott Hed:  The condensed version is this: The Bristol Bay region of southwest Alaska is home to the most prolific wild salmon fishery on Earth.  Nearly 40 million sockeye salmon return to the rivers and streams of Bristol Bay annually, fueling an ecosystem that includes everything from brown bears, moose, caribou, and bald eagles to trophy rainbow trout (think 30”-plus) and other game fish.  This salmon fishery supports a centuries-old Native culture, over 14,000 jobs, is worth $1.5 billion annually, and is the reason anglers dream of fishing in wild, remote Alaska.  There’s simply no place like it on the planet.  Now, consider that foreign mining interests want to develop what would be North America’s largest open-pit gold-copper-molybdenum mine at the headwaters of Bristol Bay’s two most productive salmon watersheds.  The proposed Pebble Mine would result in having to store up to 10.8 billion tons of toxic mine waste FOREVER in a known seismically-active area behind some of the largest earthen dams in the world.  Wrong idea in the wrong place, and that’s exactly why over 920 angling and hunting groups and businesses have implored the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to provide some safeguards to Bristol Bay’s waters and lands.

American Angler:  The EPA just released its revised draft of the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment. Put this in context for our readers. What is the significance? How does it differ from their last draft assessment?

Scott Hed: The revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment was released on Friday, April 26.  This science-based document outlines the existing values found in Bristol Bay (ecological, economic, cultural, etc.) and seeks to identify the risks to those values posed by mining proposals in the Nushagak and Kvichak River watersheds.  The first draft was released in May 2012 and received over 223,000 public comments (overwhelmingly – 95% - in favor of EPA protecting Bristol Bay).  The first draft was also peer reviewed by an independent panel of expert scientists.  EPA took the feedback from the peer experts and the public comments and sought to strengthen the document.  This revision did a number of things.  It clarified the proposed mine scenario – based upon information submitted by the mining companies themselves.  It considered the cumulative impacts of development beyond simply the proposed Pebble Mine (which is the most well-known proposal), because beyond Pebble there are 1,000 square miles of mining claims lying in wait.  That’s something a lot of people don’t realize: If Pebble were permitted, it would likely be the proverbial “foot in the door” and other mines would crop up in the region – changing things forever, in a big way.  The revision also confirmed just how unique the Bristol Bay region is relative to the significance of the salmon fishery.  And it reached the same conclusion as the first draft: Mining in this region will have significant impacts on Bristol Bay’s salmon ecosystem, and the culture, jobs, and economy it supports.  We believe it confirmed what we’ve said all along: Wrong mine, wrong place.

American Angler:  What’s the biggest challenge still facing efforts to protect Bristol Bay?

Scott Hed: While the revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment highlights that mining in Bristol Bay will not be good for salmon, residents of the region, commercial fishermen, or sportsmen, the document itself carries no force of law.  The challenge will be to convince President Obama that the EPA needs to take action to protect this incredible place once the final version of the Watershed Assessment is released later this year.

American Angler:  Why should anglers who have never been there or may never go care what happens in Bristol Bay?

Scott Hed:  In my job, I have essentially played the role of Johnny Appleseed – traveling the USA talking to anglers and hunters about Bristol Bay and the proposed Pebble Mine project.  Anglers I meet typically fall into two categories: Those who have been to Alaska and can’t wait to return, and those who’ve not been there yet but dream of going someday.  Alaska truly is a bucket list destination for anyone who loves the outdoors.  It’s the Last Frontier you’ve imagined, but better than you could ever wish for.  That said, the proposal to build monstrous mines in what many consider to be the “best of the best” when it comes to remote Alaska fishing is a dark cloud on the horizon.  This one we need to nip in the bud, because I’ve long said that if something like Pebble Mine can be built in a place like Bristol Bay, then I fear everything is on the table, nothing at all is off limits.  Where do you draw the line?  This seems like a place we need to stand our ground.  Sportsmen from catch and release anglers to big game hunters and companies that sell us fishing gear to firearms have joined this effort.  And we need anyone and everyone who loves the outdoors to stand with us.

American Angler:  The EPA is allowing public comments on this issue. Is this this the best way for angler’s to get involved?

Scott Hed:  Yes, anglers should visit www.SaveBristolBay.org to submit their official comment to the EPA.  While we dominated the public commentary on the first draft of the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment, we need to do so again.  The comment period is scheduled to conclude on May 31st, so please help now and encourage all your friends to do the same.

American Angler:  The EPA is scheduled to finalize the assessment by the end of 2013. What happens next?

Scott Hed:  Once the EPA releases a final version of the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment, which they have stated they intend to do in 2013, then we need to convince the Obama Administration that it needs to act to protect the residents of Bristol Bay and the 14,000 hard-working Americans who depend on the region’s abundance.  What should the President rely upon?  The rock-solid scientific evidence of the Watershed Assessment or the influence and fleeting promises of multi-national mining companies?  We will need to show the President that sportsmen are with him on this issue, should he choose to take action.

American Angler:  Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. released a statement last week regarding the revised draft. Comments? Thoughts?

Scott Hed:  Just what you’d expect.  Bashing the EPA and trying to mislead the public.  How easy is that?  They’ve dumped millions of dollars into a public relations campaign but they still can’t buy public sentiment.  This is a bad idea, and they’re trying to convince everyone otherwise.  The revised draft of the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment takes information straight from the mining companies’ own documents and shows how development of one or more large mines in Bristol Bay simply cannot happen without significant impacts to the most productive wild salmon fishery on the planet.  EPA has the legal authority and the obligation to protect places like Bristol Bay from toxic mining waste.  The developers have a problem with that I guess.

Bristol Bay - Running Line - American Angler Magazine

TAKE ACTION 1 > Pebble Mine Project Endangers Bristol Bay, Alaska | Save BioGems

2 > Take Action Today | www.SaveBristolBay.org