Featured Press Release
EPA protects Bristol Bay, Alaska from toxic Pebble Mine
ANCHORAGE, AK— SalmonState today cheered the issuance of a series of safeguards by the Environmental Protection Agency that will protect the headwaters of salmon-rich Bristol Bay, Alaska and prevent the construction and operation of the proposed Pebble open pit mine.
Pebble Mine’s supply camp destroyed by wildfire; mess on state land highlights risks and liabilities of proposed project
HOMER—On June 30, the proposed Pebble Mine’s supply camp at headwaters of Bristol Bay burned to the ground in a wildfire, leaving a charred mess of melted metal on state land. Meanwhile, July 11, Bristol Bay’s fishing fleet broke its harvest record, reaching 46,564,310 sockeye salmon harvested. The total Bristol Bay sockeye salmon run record is expected to be broken this week, but as of July 11, it was 61,043,165. The contrast between the charred mess of the proposed Pebble Mine’s helicoptered-in materials and the sustainable, record-breaking, world treasure of the Bristol Bay sockeye salmon run could not be more clear.
SalmonState urges swift action on EPA’s proposed protections for Bristol Bay, Alaska
HOMER— Today, as a record-breaking forecasted run of more than 70 million sockeye salmon make their way toward Bristol Bay, Alaska, the Environmental Protection Agency announced proposed protections for the region — which for more than two decades has been threatened by the ominous specter of the proposed Pebble Mine. SalmonState joins with Tribes, fishermen and Bristol Bay communities in urging the EPA to finalize these protections before the end of 2022.
SalmonState applauds the EPA for setting a deadline for permanent Clean Water Act Protections for Bristol Bay
HOMER—SalmonState applauds the EPA for setting a deadline for permanent Clean Water Act Protections for Bristol Bay.
SalmonState: After court ruling, it’s even more clear EPA must stop Pebble Mine now
ANCHORAGE—Today, a U.S. District Court ruling paves the way for the Environmental Protection Agency to complete its Clean Water Act process aimed at protecting Bristol Bay from the massive, open pit Pebble Mine and associated industrial development. In essence, the court has made clear that the EPA has the ability to issue 404(c) protections under the Clean Water Act. For the past two decades, Tribes, fishermen, Alaskans and Americans across the country have been fighting the threat of the proposed Pebble Mine: a massive open pit gold, copper and molybdenum mine proposed for Bristol Bay’s headwaters.
SalmonState applauds EPA for resuming path toward protections for Bristol Bay
“The Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement that it plans to cease defending the Trump administration’s backroom deal abandoning science-based protections for the world’s most productive sockeye salmon habitat, Bristol Bay, is a step in the right direction.”
SalmonState applauds Alaska Legislature’s rejection of Pebble Employee for key fisheries post
JUNEAU—SalmonState applauds the Alaska Legislature’s overwhelming 41-18 vote to reject Abe Williams’ appointment to the Alaska Board of Fisheries. Williams, who was nominated by Governor Dunleavy, is a long-time employee of the Pebble Limited Partnership, which made him absolutely the wrong choice for a seat on the board that is traditionally held by someone from the Bristol Bay region.
EPA Administrator Regan’s confirmation a win for Bristol Bay
ANCHORAGE—SalmonState applauds the confirmation of EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan, who has assured Americans he will restore the role of science at the Environmental Protection Agency. SalmonState also thanks Senator Lisa Murkowski, who voted to confirm Regan. The confirmation is a win for Bristol Bay, the world’s greatest sockeye salmon run, which the Obama EPA was working to protect from the proposed Pebble Mine — a massive, open-pit mine and toxic waste dump planned for Bristol Bay’s headwaters.
Army Corps boots the State of Alaska out of the Pebble appeals process
ANCHORAGE- Friday’s announcement from the Army Corps that it denies the State of Alaska’s request for appeal of the Pebble mine project Clean Water Act § 404 permit denial is a win for Bristol Bay.
Alaskans ask Biden Administration to Move Quickly to Protect Critical Alaskan Salmon Watersheds, Make 30×30 a ‘Reality’
Juneau, AK – Yesterday, President Biden released his plan to address climate change, including a ‘30×30’ provision that calls for conservation of 30 percent of our lands and oceans by 2030. “Coming on the heels of an alarming report from the State of Washington showing salmon on the brink of extinction with climate change being a major factor, we need to take bold steps right now if we are going to have a fighting chance to preserve the healthy wild salmon runs many of us take for granted,” said SalmonState executive director Tim Bristol.
Pebble’s Appeal Highlights Need for Lasting, Permanent Protections, EPA Veto
ANCHORAGE—The Pebble Partnership’s plea today that the Army Corps of Engineers reverse its denial of the proposed Pebble Mine’s Clean Water Act dredge and fill permit highlights the need for durable, long-term, lasting protections for the Bristol Bay region, as well as the need for an EPA veto of the proposed Pebble Mine itself.
State of Alaska’s Pebble appeal highlights need for EPA veto
ANCHORAGE— Today’s announcement from the State of Alaska that it will appeal the rejection of Pebble’s permit application is deeply disappointing and once again shows the Dunleavy Administration prioritizes the interests of a disgraced foreign mining company over the thousands of Alaskans who depend on Bristol Bay’s incredible wild salmon fishery for their livelihoods and ways of life.
SalmonState stands with Bristol Bay in calling for lasting protections
SalmonState stands with the people of Bristol Bay as, today, they call for lasting protections for their region, home to the world’s most significant sockeye salmon resource.
Pebble’s permit denied; SalmonState urges Clean Water Act protections
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers today denied the Clean Water Act 404 permit for the Pebble Mine, a massive open pit mine proposed for the headwaters of Bristol Bay, the greatest sockeye salmon resource on the planet. Following is a statement from SalmonState executive director Tim Bristol on the decision:
Pebble’s mitigation plan inherently flawed; veto only way to defend Bristol Bay
Anchorage, AK—Northern Dynasty Minerals, the parent company of the Pebble Limited Partnership, announced today that it has submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers the mitigation plan it hopes will allow its proposed open pit mine and toxic dump at the headwaters of Bristol Bay, Alaska to move forward. Bristol Bay is the planet’s greatest sockeye salmon run and has provided more than half the world’s sockeye salmon catch in recent years. Despite that, the area remains unprotected from destructive mining impacts.
New Pebble Tapes: Pebble expects Alaskans to pony up $1.5 billion for proposed mine
ANCHORAGE, AK—Two videos released by the Environmental Investigation Agency today as additions to “The Pebble Tapes” feature a top Pebble executive’s intention to use a $1.5 billion construction subsidy from the State of Alaska’s depleted coffers to ship Alaska’s resources to Asia; Pebble’s ties to Alaska’s elected officials at a state and federal level; and its expectations for what those elected officials will and won’t do in the months to come. In the two tapes, Canadian Ron Thiessen, the head of Northern Dynasty Minerals, Pebble’s Canadian parent company, also told the investors that elected officials lie about their positions during election season, saying “you (elected officials) aren’t held to your promises.” He also reiterated the State of Alaska’s support for the proposed Pebble Mine — support underlined by Governor Mike Dunleavy’s recent letters, which double down on his support for the project in spite of the lies the first set of tapes exposed.
Senator Murkowski commits to defending Bristol Bay; SalmonState urges EPA veto to restore confidence in process
SalmonState thanks Senator Lisa Murkowski for today calling the proposed Pebble Mine “the wrong mine in the wrong place,” pledging to use the appropriations process in Congress to ensure the Bristol Bay region is protected from the proposed mine, and pledging to work on “longer-term protections for the region” during the next Congress. The organization also calls on Senator Murkowski to restore confidence in the process by supporting an Environmental Protection Agency 404c veto of the proposed mine, which is still in permitting.
Statement: Pebble lies. Tom Collier’s resignation doesn’t change that.
“Tom Collier is only leaving the Pebble Partnership because he got caught. Deception, dishonesty, greed and hubris are in the DNA of this company and at the heart of its existence. Pebble lies. We have always known this and now, thanks to these tapes, the rest of the world knows it as well. Tom Collier was not the source of this corruption — he is indicative of it. In the wake of this week’s events, it’s imperative our leaders call for a halt to the Army Corps planning process, which was exposed as broken almost beyond belief.”
Pebble executives brag of friendly relationships with Alaska’s elected officials to undercover ‘investors’: Shocking tapes also highlight deception
ANCHORAGE—SalmonState today expressed shock and anger at the revelations contained in a series of undercover Environmental Investigation Agency videos exposing the Pebble Partnerships’ true plans for a mine at the headwaters of Bristol Bay — and executives’ relationships with Alaska’s elected officials and with political appointees at all levels
Prominent national Republicans come out in support of Bristol Bay
ANCHORAGE—Prominent Republicans Donald Trump Jr. and Nick Ayers, former chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, today tweeted in support of Bristol Bay and against the proposed Pebble Mine.