September 6th marked the end of Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) public comment period on proposed Clean Water Act safeguards for the Bristol Bay region. Over 500,000 comments were submitted, with record numbers submitted from the people who have been fighting for clean water and healthy fish habitat from the beginning. Over 2,500 comments came from Bristol Bay residents, and over 30,000 comments came from Alaskans across the state who support proposed restrictions on mine waste discharge in Bristol Bay waters. Thank you to everyone who submitted comments once again!
Bristol Bay’s traditional advocates- the Indigenous Peoples of Bristol Bay, Tribes, sportfish and hunting business owners, guides, commercial fishermen, and Alaskans statewide- were joined by some nontraditional voices, showing just how far of an impact Bristol Bay has and how many entities are impacted by the decision made in the most prolific sockeye salmon fishery on the planet.
Here’s a couple comments that were submitted to the EPA during this comment period.
“As an organization dedicated to inspiring conservation of our marine environment, the Seattle Aquarium writes today in strong support of the Proposed Determination under Clean Water Act Section 404(c) to prohibit and restrict the use of certain waters in the Bristol Bay watershed as disposal sites for the discharge of dredged or fill material associated with mining the Pebble Deposit... The surrounding marine ecosystem, $1.5 billion-dollar fishing industry, and over 14,000 jobs— including jobs held by fishermen from Washington state—that depend on these fish would be put in jeopardy. The people and wildlife of Bristol Bay deserve a permanent solution, and we therefore applaud the EPA’s proposal to move in that direction.” - Nora Nickum Senior Ocean Policy Manager Seattle Aquarium
“On behalf of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, I write to call upon the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to fulfill its responsibility to complete its Clean Water Act Section 404(c) process and reach a Final Determination for Bristol Bay by the end of 2022. The Miami Tribe supports the Tribes of Bristol Bay in their efforts to permanently protect this national treasure from the threat of large-scale mines like Pebble. The EPA cannot allow toxic mining waste to be stored at the headwaters of the Bristol Bay region.” - Douglas G. Lankford, Chief Miami Tribe of Oklahoma
Washington State Attorney General
“Mining in any part of the Bristol Bay watershed, whether at the Pebble deposit or elsewhere, poses a grave threat to Washington’s economy and culture. I cannot stand by and witness the destruction of the priceless resource that is Bristol Bay. I have participated in the Pebble Mine environmental review process in the past, and will continue to oppose any development threatening Bristol Bay’s environment. I urge EPA Region 10 to act to preserve the irreplaceable Bristol Bay watershed, by forwarding to EPA Headquarters a recommended determination consistent with the Proposed Determination.” - Bob Ferguson, Washington State Attorney General
Trillium Asset Management, LLC
“As we have written previously, we believe that for widely diversified investors with long-term investment horizons the value of our portfolios is dependent in part on sustainable global economic growth. For that reason we are aware of the need for natural resource development to support economic growth as well as the development of clean technologies, which hold the promise of more sustainable economic growth. But we are also concerned that returns could be negatively affected by corporate behavior with negative social and environmental impacts.... We are concerned that if large-scale mining occurs in the Bristol Bay watershed with the impacts described in the Proposed Determination, that it could cast a cloud over mining projects in general – even responsible and safe ones. This has the potential of increasing mining costs generally and may put into question appropriate mining projects. Such occurrences could be destabilizing to the global mining and fishing industries and consequently not helpful for long-term economic growth.” - Jonas Kron, Chief Advocacy Officer Trillium Asset Management, LLC
The groups listed above are just a few of the many Tribes, businesses, chefs, and others who submitted comments in support finalizing EPA’s proposed safeguards for Bristol Bay. Review all of the comments submitted to EPA here.
With the comment period closed, EPA has announced December 2, 2022 as the next deadline to release a Recommended Determination, advancing the proposed safeguards towards finalization. Read more about the history of the Clean Water Act in Bristol Bay and the different milestones in the effort to secure safeguards for Bristol Bay.