Overview of the Issue
Alaska’s Bristol Bay is one of world’s most iconic fishing destinations, home to a world-class wild salmon fishery and some of the most important sockeye runs anywhere on Earth.
Foreign mining company Northern Dynasty, operating as Pebble Limited Partnership, has proposed to develop a massive, open pit copper and gold mine in the headwaters of Bristol Bay. The proposed project would damage fisheries, risking nearly 2,800 acres of wetlands, 130 miles of stream, and over 130 acres of open water.
ASA is working with a coalition of Alaskan and nationwide advocates to push the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take action to stop the mine and protect Bristol Bay’s fisheries.
Learn More about Bristol Bay and Pebble Mine
Connor Bevan, ASA’s Inland Fisheries Policy Manager, discusses recent updates on Pebble Mine permitting and the importance of ensuring safeguards for this one-of-a-kind fishery.
What ASA is Doing
Given the economic and ecological importance of Bristol Bay and its salmon fisheries, ASA has a longstanding position to protect Bristol Bay from the impacts of mining. As part of a large coalition, ASA is pushing for an EPA veto of the permit. Through Keep America Fishing (KAF), supporters generated thousands of emails to key decision-makers including the President, both chambers of Congress, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency.
History of the Issue
On November 25, 2020, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied a permit for the Pebble Mine in Alaska, a significant step in blocking the development of the mine.
In September 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it would reinstate the 2014 Clean Water Act protections on Alaska’s Bristol Bay. The move came after a 2019 decision to vacate the protections.
On Friday, October 29, 2021 the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska overturned the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) 2019 decision to withdraw the Bristol Bay 404(c) Proposed Determination, reinstating important protections for the headwaters of Bristol Bay. The Proposed Determination safeguards the Bristol Bay region and its world-class fisheries from large-scale mining operations like the proposed Pebble mine by placing reasonable limits on how much impact mining can have on salmon streams and wetlands.
On December 1, 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 10 recommended that agency headquarters apply the Clean Water Act Section 404(c) to protect Bristol Bay. By vetoing the project, discharges into certain Bristol Bay waters would be prohibited, making it impossible for the proposed Pebble Mine project to move forward. The recommendation now awaits review and a final determination. In the meantime, an Alaska Native corporation, Pedro Bay Corp., voted in favor of buying three conservation easements that would protect 44,000 acres of land that Pebble Mine developers wanted. This is good news for the conservation of Bristol Bay’s iconic salmon fishery.
On January 31, 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) used its 404(c) authority under the Clean Water Act to stop the approval and ultimate construction of the Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska. The EPA’s final determination effectively vetoes Pebble Mine, citing concerns about the impacts of mining waste and discharge on Bristol Bay’s renowned salmon fishery.
The American Sportfishing Association thanks the EPA for listening to local Alaskans, tribes, the outdoor recreation community, bipartisan Congressional leaders, partner organizations and the thousands of anglers that contacted them through our Keep America Fishing portal in opposition to the mine’s construction.
