Last week was a big one for Bristol Bay, both good and bad. The positive: the Bristol Bay sockeye salmon harvests reached 43 million fish, the second largest on record, and we celebrated statewide recognition of Alaska Wild Salmon Day on Saturday.

The negative: we dealt with the aftermath of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rolling back protections established in 2014 for the Bristol Bay region.

The EPA publicly announced the reversal of the Proposed Determination on July 30, but EPA staff sources reported that they were informed of the decision a month earlier after a meeting between the President and Governor Dunleavy in Alaska, during a hastily arranged video conference. CNN reported on this turn of events late last week.

Though extremely unfortunate, this move doesn’t surprise us. Governor Dunleavy has made it incredibly clear that he supports Pebble between appointing a former Pebble executive to an office in charge of distributing mining permits, to opposing the extension of the public comment period that gave thousands of Alaskans the opportunity to weigh in on the project. He has shown his allegiance lies with foreign mining companies. If you live in Alaska, call his office (907-465-3500) and tell him to listen to Alaskans, and stop putting the mining industry ahead of our people, fish, and local economies.

The timing of the internal EPA announcement and removal of protections for Bristol Bay is also unsurprising. Like the entire process the Army Corps of Engineers has taken to review the Pebble project and permit application, this component is as fast-tracked and rushed as every other step they’ve taken over the past year and a half. And it’s 100% unacceptable.

Rest assured we are pursuing all avenues to protect the salmon, jobs and communities of Bristol Bay. We’re headed back to Capitol Hill, we are getting creative with our plans for rallying our supporters, and we’re creating a game plan for our next strategic move.

It’s unacceptable to ignore science. It’s unacceptable to steamroll the thousands of Alaskans who have vocalized their commitment to the people, fish and fish-based industries of Bristol Bay. It’s unacceptable to rush through a process intended to safeguard the natural resources of an incredibly productive region. We will ensure our decision makers at every level understand this and weigh in to help protect Bristol Bay.

This fight is far from over- Pebble has not won. We ask for your support in standing with us as we continue to push back on this irresponsible project. Send a message to your elected officials asking them to do all they can to stop Pebble, and stay tuned for the next call to action.