PEBBLE MINE
Sportsmen have been rallying around Pebble Mine for many years. And it’s going to be a long battle yet. We’ve been following the saga for years, including this “action needed” piece from 2014.
For a quick recap of the project, Save Bristol Bay sums it up: Bristol Bay is home to the world’s largest run of wild sockeye salmon and has provided for Alaska Native communities for thousands of years. Today it supports an economy worth $1.5 billion a year and over 14,000 sustainable, American jobs. This fishery is threatened by a Canadian company proposing one of North America’s largest open pit copper and gold mines: the Pebble Mine.
Angling Trade’s Kirk Deeter just penned a piece about the current situation in Alaska and Washington, D.C, titled Six Reasons Why We Can Still Prevail on Pebble.
Kirk notes:
1. Pebble is a bad deal. President Trump is all about the deal. This is about a Canadian company mining on American soil, to reap copper and gold that’s mostly going to end up in China. It puts at risk an already thriving fishing economy. This is not an “America First” deal.
2. You can’t put America First if you don’t bother to listen to the First Americans. Over 80 percent of the native Americans in that region oppose the mine. Their voices matter most.
3. This isn’t an “energy” project, it’s a mining project. So while the Trump Administration may strive to increase American energy independence, this is an apples and oranges comparison.
4. Many businesses are opposed to the Pebble Mine, and leading the list is President Trump’s Fifth Avenue neighbor, Tiffany & Co.
5. It’s a nonpartisan issue. Republicans are lining up against Pebble Mine as much as Democrats.
6. Most importantly, it’s a cultural issue that involves sportsmen and sportswomen who vote en masse. If you like to fish, or you like to hunt, this one matters. Trump family members are outdoor enthusiasts, so let’s see where that goes. If ever there were a chance to make a statement on behalf of wild places, this is still it.
Read Kirk’s full piece here.
How can you help?
- Read more about the project on SaveBristolBay.org
- Send a letter to President Trump using this easy form
- Stay educated — watch conservation and fly-fishing outlets for news and updates
