April 26, 2013 — The following was released by Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay:
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay is pleased the EPA has taken a significant step to ensure the continuation of America’s greatest wild salmon fishery by releasing its Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment and starting a 30-day comment period. This important science-based report describes the impacts and severe risks of large-scale hard rock mining in Bristol Bay’s highly productive wild salmon stronghold, and makes clear that the world’s largest and most valuable sockeye salmon fishery is no place for a mega project like the proposed Pebble Mine.
“We are fighting to protect 14,000 American jobs and an entire industry from a risky proposal to dig the largest open-pit mine in North America in the heart of the Bristol Bay salmon nursery,” said Bob Waldrop, executive director of the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association. “Once again, EPA’s findings make it clear that delay is not an option for protecting the Bristol Bay salmon economy. We hope the EPA quickly finalizes the assessment so we can get back to growing Bristol Bay’s world-class sustainable fishery.”
The EPA’s science-based report, based on documents submitted by Pebble’s backers, finds that even without a catastrophic breach of the massive earthen dams that would be required to store up to 10 billion tons of toxic mine waste, a large mine the size of the proposed Pebble project will destroy miles of salmon streams and up to 4,300 acres of salmon wetland habitat. This destruction is unacceptable to Bristol Bay’s fishermen and a 125-year-old commercial fishing industry.
Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay has urged EPA to follow through on its extensive science and not let its report gather dust on a shelf, especially as the threat of the Pebble Mine has created a cloud of uncertainty over future investments in Bristol Bay’s fishery. All of the Assessment’s data and analysis makes clear that it’s time to enlist the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay’s powerhouse fishery, economy and 14,000 jobs from a risky mega mine. Every year, an average of 37.5 million wild sockeye return to Bristol Bay, making up nearly half of the world’s supply of sockeye salmon. Under the Clean Water Act, the EPA has a clear responsibility and a duty to protect waters of national significance like Bristol Bay and its tributaries from the unacceptable adverse impacts of mined dredge and fill materials.
The agency’s process has now taken more than two years and has involved two rounds of review by independent scientists, eight public hearings and a previous public comment period that generated more than 230,000 comments, with more than 90% of them in support of EPA’s findings. In addition, more than 80% of Bristol Bay residents oppose the Pebble mine, as do nearly 60% of Alaskans and 85% of Bristol Bay commercial fishermen.
Following the public comment period, the EPA is expected to finalize the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment by fall.