With over 250 hunting, fishing and outdoor businesses sending a letter, a petition signed by nearly 50,000 hunters and anglers, key conservative figures, and even his own son calling for the proposed Pebble mine to be stopped, President Donald J. Trump finally responded to the chorus of Americans saying that Pebble is the wrong mine in the wrong place.
On Wednesday, September 16th, the President tweeted:
The President’s tweets follow the August 24th announcement from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that the current proposed Pebble project would not be issued its key federal permit because it "would likely result in significant degradation of the environment and would likely result in significant adverse effects on the aquatic system or human environment.”
This conclusion was made toward the end of the permit review process carried out by the Corps, is backed by peer-reviewed science, and reflects what we have said for years: Pebble is a threat to the people, fish, economy and cultures of the region and is unwanted by a majority of Alaskans.
On Tuesday, September 14th during the Bristol Bay Salmon Week virtual forum, Alaska’s Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan restated their support for the Army Corps of Engineers’ announcement. Senator Murkowski specifically called out the rigorous permitting process and high bar of standards that must be met, and Senator Sullivan emphasized that decision makers must listen to Alaskans in this process.
Pebble has failed to meet the standards of the permitting process, and Alaskans remain vocal and overwhelmingly opposed to the Pebble mine. When you take politics out of it, the right decision is to deny the permit for the proposal. That’s exactly what we need the President to do.
If you’re a Twitter user, please respond to the President’s tweets and ask him to #DenyThePermit today for the proposed Pebble mine. Not on Twitter? Send a message to the President asking him to officially deny the permit for the mine.
With continued pressure and – hopefully - a permit off the table for Pebble, we’ll turn out attention next to securing the long-term protections the Bristol Bay region deserves. Until then, we need your voice. Thank you!