FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 5, 2018
Contact: Nelli Williams, Trout Unlimited (907) 230-7121
Pebble application shows project posing catastrophic impacts to Bristol Bay salmon
Incomplete mining proposal an attempt to gain foot in the door within Bristol Bay
ANCHORAGE, AK - This morning, the Army Corps of Engineers released Public Notice stating they've received Pebble's mining permit application.
In response to this news and an initial review of the application by Trout Unlimited, Nelli Williams, director of Trout Unlimited’s Alaska Program, released the following statement:
“The Pebble mining plan released today by the Army Corps of Engineers confirms all our long-held concerns that the proposed Pebble Mine would be catastrophic for Bristol Bay and its world-famous salmon and trout fisheries. Frighteningly, this isn’t even the full picture. The plan released today includes only a fraction of the ore within the Pebble deposit, indicating that the impacts could be vastly greater than what’s indicated on the application we see today. It is clear that Pebble is continuing to deceive and mislead Alaskans and Americans, and their “new” plan is nothing more than the same old threat wrapped in a package they hope is more digestible. Don’t be fooled by this incomplete proposal. We will be conducting a thorough and rigorous analysis of the mining plan, but even a cursory review of the materials reveals that the proposed Pebble mine is an existential threat to one of the world’s greatest wild salmon ecosystems and the lucrative salmon economy it supports.”
Additional technical details and statements available upon request.
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Trout Unlimited is the nation’s oldest and largest cold-water fisheries conservation organization. In Alaska, we work with sportsmen and women to ensure the state’s trout and salmon resources remain healthy through our local chapters and offices in Anchorage and Juneau. Find us online at tu.org, SaveBristolBay.org and Facebook.com/SaveBristolBay