With just two weeks left to submit a comment to help finalize the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal to safeguard clean water and fish habitat in Bristol Bay. We’ve compiled a list of the top three reasons these protections should be finalized, why EPA needs to do it fast, and why you should act today to make it happen.
1. Local people want Clean Water Act protections. Local residents and organizations have been advocating for EPA to use its authority to restrict and prohibit mine waste discharge into Bristol Bay waterways since 2010. At public hearings held in the region earlier this summer, over 90% of testifiers spoke in support of EPA finalizing these protections as soon as possible. Tribal members, commercial fishermen, lodge owners, sportfish guides and anglers, and countless others shared how their lives and livelihoods are reliant on strong salmon runs. One minute of your time can help preserve Indigenous traditions that stretch back thousands of years, a robust local economy, and world-class fishing.
Commercial fisherman and sportfishing guide Triston Chaney testifies in support of Clean Water Act safeguards in Bristol Bay at the Dillingham hearing in June 2022. Source: United Tribes of Bristol Bay
2. The fishery broke the all-time run record this summer. 78.4 million (and counting) sockeye salmon swam through Bristol Bay waters this season, breaking the 2021 record by over 10 million fish. Places like Bristol Bay don’t exist anywhere else, even in the state of Alaska where other fisheries and species are struggling or failing. Retaining clean water and healthy fish habitat is the best way to ensure the sockeye fishery can stay as strong as possible in the years to come. Maintaining the health of this fishery is vital for the people of Bristol Bay and the countless other species who rely on salmon – like the region’s extraordinary rainbow trout and bear populations.
Source: Indy Walton
3. Pebble Mine isn’t going away anytime soon. Even though the key federal permit for the mine proposal was denied in 2020, Pebble Limited Partnership has vowed to find a way forward. The Army Corps of Engineers is still reviewing its permit denial appeal. Earlier this summer, Pebble acquired a $60 million investment from an unnamed investor in exchange for royalties from the gold and silver that would be recovered as a byproduct of the copper produced if a mine is developed. Finalized Clean Water Act protections would establish another hurdle for Pebble to have to overcome to develop in the region.
Every voice counts when it comes to speaking up for wild fish! Comment today to help ensure the salmon, wildlife and people of Bristol Bay have a bright future.