One step closer to permanent protections for Bristol Bay

Good news: a reckless plan to site a toxic open-pit mine the size of Manhattan next to Alaska’s Bristol Bay has run into another roadblock. 

A reckless plan to site a toxic open-pit mine the size of Manhattan next to Alaska’s Bristol Bay has run into another roadblock.

On Oct. 29, U.S District Court Judge Sharon Gleason affirmed that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has the legal authority to permanently protect Bristol Bay. Under the Clean Water Act, the EPA can now prevent mining in the “Pebble deposit,” an area located in the watershed between two of the rivers that feed the bay.

“Bristol Bay is a vast, beautiful and ecologically important area” said Dyani Chapman, Environment America’s Alaska organizer. “If it was allowed to move forward, the Pebble Mine would destroy thousands of acres of wetlands, fragment a contiguous healthy ecosystem, and pollute Bristol Bay with mining refuse and chemicals.”  

Along with Environment America, the Pebble Mine project is opposed by other environmental groups, local business owners, fishermen and elected officials in Alaska.

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Photo: At nearly 27.5 million acres, Bristol Bay is an incredibly special place — serving as a home to over 200 species, including brown bears, Right whales and the emblematic bald eagle. Credit: liveyourlife via Shutterstock

John Stout
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