Bristol Bay salmon would get extra protection in federal law • Alaska Beacon

As we write, tens of millions of salmon are swimming into Bristol Bay. And for the second year in a row, those who work the 15,000 jobs that salmon provide each year can celebrate that the proposed Pebble mine no longer threatens to contaminate the headwaters of the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery.

At least for the moment.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued Clean Water Act protections for this amazing fishery in January 2023. This news was welcomed by area residents and dozens of businesses that depend on the Bristol Bay fishery, along with the annual economic impact of 2 .2 billion dollars. Since then, Pebble and the state of Alaska have filed four lawsuits in an attempt to keep this ill-conceived, acid-producing mine on life support. The math and science are not on their side—not only would the mine irreversibly damage a fishery that, if left uncontaminated, could continue to produce and provide jobs for centuries to come, but the state of Alaska has created a basic . math error in one of its lawsuits, prompting it to increase the amount for which they are suing American taxpayers by $630 billion. Clearly, those seeking to exploit Bristol Bay at the risk of its sustainable fisheries are not taking no for an answer.

Fortunately, on May 1, Representative Mary Peltola introduced the Bristol Bay Protection Act into the US House of Representatives. This bill would codify the EPA’s Clean Water Act protections, which protect the headwaters of Bristol Bay, where the Pebble deposit is located, from mining activity. Rep. Peltola’s bill makes protections fought for by tribes, fishermen and Alaskans in a decades-long battle over the fate of the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery more difficult to undo through actions alone administrative. Thank you, Mr. Rep. Peltola, for this much needed legislation.

Each of us has been involved in Bristol Bay fishing for decades, one in the cottage business and one running a commercial fishing and direct marketing business. One of us brings the people to the fish, and the other brings the fish to the people. Between the two of us, we have almost 70 years of hard-earned experience in Bristol Bay. We are not anti-development. We both worked in the oil fields in Alaska. And we both traveled to our nation’s capital to testify before Congress about the wonders of Bristol Bay and how it is too valuable to risk losing.

The proposed Pebble mine is an issue that not only cuts across party lines, it tears them apart. The late Senator Ted Stevens called Pebble “the wrong mine in the wrong place,” and Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan have both expressed opposition to Pebble. The Army Corps of Engineers denied a key Pebble permit in 2020 during the Trump administration. These are historic positions that Alaskan politicians must take, but the facts, science and public opinion are in Bristol Bay’s corner. In addition to Alaska’s leaders (absent our current governor, Mike Dunleavy), the last three presidents of the United States have all taken steps to protect Bristol Bay and prevent the Pebble Mine from moving forward. EPA began its review of the Clean Water Act under Obama; US Army Corps of Engineers denied Pebble’s permit under Trump; and the EPA finalized Clean Water Act protections under Biden. Rep. Peltola’s bill is the next, desperately needed step. It also reflects the fact that the majority of Alaskans have consistently opposed this uniquely dangerous project.

For about 20 years, the dark cloud of uncertainty that Pebble cast over the region united local residents, subsistence, recreational and commercial fishermen. That coalition, born in Bristol Bay, is supported by organizations, companies and individuals from coast to coast. During this campaign, over 4 million public comments supported protection for Bristol Bay. Whether you are a catch and release angler, a big game hunter, someone who enjoys watching brown bears pluck salmon into the air, or enjoy eating the delicious and nutritious wild sockeye from Bristol Bay, everyone who spoke in in favor of protecting this amazing region can support the Bristol Bay Protection Act.