‘A CATASTROPHE WAITING TO HAPPEN’ FINAL PEBBLE MINE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT SPARKS OUTRAGE BY CHRIS COCOLES
I
n the end, the Pebble Partnership and the Trump administration got what it was hoping for: a fast-tracked path to a possible gold and copper mine in the Bristol Bay watershed. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had already teased as much earlier this year. The draft of the Corps’ environmental impact statement for the project suggested it would recommend
a version of what the Pebble group was seeking in the face of opponents fearing such a mine could someday decimate the region’s prized salmon runs. After another round of public comments, the final EIS was released on July 23, which suggested an approximate 8,300-acre project with an alternate transport system to other options presented by the Pebble
Partnership group. And while there are still obstacles needed to clear to get the project underway – not to mention the threat of legal action on the horizon – those who are concerned about whether Bristol Bay’s fishing industry can coexist with this mine are furious and skeptical that the EIS release isn’t just the beginning of a larger scale project.
Salmon attempt to clear Brooks Falls, part of the incredibly rich greater Bristol Bay watershed. The region’s runs feed a sustainable billion-dollar industry, and fishermen are speaking out against a recently published U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ final environmental impact statement that claims the proposed Pebble Mine wouldn’t harm fish. (MARK TITUS)
aksportingjournal.com | AUGUST 2020
ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL
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