In response to the request by Bristol Bay Native Corporation (BBNC) in conjunction with 9 federally recognized Bristol Bay Alaskan native tribes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced a scientific review of how future large scale development projects will impact the Bristol Bay salmon fishing area. A move which was applauded by the commercial fishing industry and sportsmen in the area.
The Pebble Mine is a giant gold, copper and molybdenum mine that has been proposed between two of the major salmon spawning streams in Bristol Bay located west of the largest lake in Alaska. The native Alaskan tribes have asked the EPA to use its authority given by the Clean Water Act to protect the Bay.
The company which has a poor environmental record would potentially destroy the natural habitat of wildlife in the region. The Pebble Mine would dig an open pit mine of two miles width and 1,700 feet depth. An additional underground mine of the same dimensions will also be dug up. It is claimed they will dump 10 billion tons of toxic mine waste in to the watershed of Nushagak and Kvichak in the Bristol Bay region.
The construction of the Pebble Mine would result in the loss of a wetland the size of Kentucky. The 40,000 square mile wetland is an important protector for the world’s largest sockeye salmon run. This would be put at risk by mining in the Bristol Bay area along with thousands of jobs generated by the fishery.
There is considerable consternation over the proposed mine and the EPA study will provide the right answers to large scale development in the region. It is one of the last untouched areas of natural beauty on the earth and protecting it may be more important than exploiting its underground mineral resources.