The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is blocking the proposed Pebble copper and gold mine, citing potential harm to the Bristol Bay salmon fishery. Here's the press release.
We'll update this post with reaction as it comes in.
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska
Trout Unlimited
Natural Resources Defense Council
Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay
U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska
U.S. Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska
Bristol Bay Native Corp.
U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.
The Pebble Partnership
Center for American Progress
Earthjustice
State Rep. Les Gara, D-Anchorage
Sharon Leighow, spokeswoman for Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell
New York Times editorial
Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association
Anchorage Daily News editorial
Seattle Times editorial
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner editorial
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18 comments:
Many thanks should go out to all who for many years spent countless hours making the nation and the Congress and EPA aware that the Pebble was took dangerous of a project to be allowed and could destroy all Bristol Bay renewable resources. And a special thanks Peter Van Tuyn Esq the attorney that was a major factor in sheparding the EPA into recognizing this was the wrong mine in the wrong place. Now we can all go back to concentrating on catching fish instead of lobbying gov't to do the right thing and killing the Pebble mine.
Thank you EPA!
Alaska has several potential opportunities for the residents and one of them is Bristol Bay commercial and sport fishermen which people relied for countless decades for their livelihood, not to mention subsistence which families rely every year to feed their families.
Mining is too great of a risk for many and should not be allowed in such an area where it poses too great of a risk for Bristol Bay and surrounding areas.
Thank goodness that is over!! Now if we don't get any of Japans nuclear waste drifting over here, we can go about fishing for a few years.
First off - yea! Second, Murkowski's statement is such a toady piece that I just threw up the last bit of 'trying to give her a break' that I have left in me. Be gone!
Poor Don Young,blaming the big bad evil feds for protecting Bristol Bay when most Alaskan Republican politicians would sell out all the jobs associated with BB.Lets trade fishing jobs for minning interests....oh I almost forgot.open pit mines don't polute,the earth is flat and global warming is gods will
Thank you Shawn for and your fathers hard work in making alaskas fisheries clean, wild and sustainable. One hurdle down, one big hurdle to go!
All of Bristol bay was never in any danger from pebble, illiama lake systems, yes they would be at significant risk of a breach from a settling pond. Anything that reached salt water would be so diluted that by Constantine it would be at background levels. No danger of "wiping out" Egegik, Naknak, Nush, togiak, ugashik. Don't get me wrong its not worth risking the Illiamna watershed and I don't think Pebble should proceed, but this is an interesting example of how alarmism with the right lobbying can accomplish things in Gov't.
theres gold for panning found over 5 ounces . I used to be chief engineer in chignik. 2013 took me time to find but I found the right rocks to lift. when can afford to will go back. nugget
Be careful who we ask to bring into our house - the EPA does water and water quality.
Wait until all fish waste must be ground down to less than 1 mm for water quality concerns...
Or all human waste can no longer go through marine toilets that dump directly into the waters that we are fishing in...
But, but, but that is redickulous...
Welcome home.
Remember well - we extended the invitation.
Getting the EPA involved is a real bad deal. What happens when the scrutiny put on the Pebble project gets turned on the BBay fishing fleet? Oily bilges, waste disposal ect. We better cross our fingers it doesn't happen, with the precedent now set for Federal overreach into state jurisdiction.
Hell, the fleet probably puts more contaminates in the Bay in a season than the mine ever would in its life.
As a life long fisherman,i keep my bilges clean,use my cg approved toilet and try to preserve the environment so that my grand kids an fish if they want toif it takes the feds to make guys like you to see the light so be it.If you cant tand the heat get out of the kitchen cowboy,(I bet you still throw garbage overboard and use fish pews dont you
If not EPA who would you prefer to step in to protect Bristol Bay streams/rivers?
As for garbage/bildge disposal, with 1800 drift permits and several hundred set net permits this amounts to quite a few boats not to mention several hundred other vessels, tenders, processors etc. the fleet is doing great keeping waters clean.
As for being a drift fisherman in Bristol Bay for over 26 seasons, I don't see a water pollution problem the combined fleet of 6 weeks does.
If you open the Pebble Mine, there is a huge potential that the spawning grounds will get destroyed and it will be operated year round.
Thumbs up to EPA from my boat! even if they decide to step in and control the bay and the boats to keep waters clean because it don't bother me, all my equipment is up to date and I don't use buckets when I need to go.
Yep Got a Dello 400 bucket, all perdy, Sanitary Waste lable on it,
and were good to GO! Ha.
Love our system, Now lets go catch some Reds. Party on 43134.
Cheer for the EPA all you want on this one, but they are truly an out of touch agency on how things actually work. They have done some great things, but under the Obama administration they have been an agency looking to pick fights with industry. In 2009 during the re authorization of the clean water act they refused to budge on making every single vessel in Alaska apply for a clean water permit to wash down their vessel because it would have been deemed "discharge". Murkowski stepped up and fought, and eventually got all small boats exempted till 2016. Just wait till those bureaucrats in DC start poking their noses in the small boat fleets in Alaska, and you will truly see how out of touch they are.
You don't understand how big it could get, its not just bilges or sanitation devices. Under current EPA regulations all water coming off the boats needs to be held in a holding tank for evaluation, ALL water, that means sink drains, bilges, when you hose your deck down after you haul that shackle, that's right all that water would need to go into a holding tank, rainwater ect. Thank god we have a waiver right now to operate without that. This is the monster the EPA is, we let the devil in the door I hope it doesn't bite us.
So whats the freak out? You have to read (tough assignment I realize and taxing the brain power of the average fisherman) and sign, GASP! acknowledging that you understand that you can't dump that old TBT paint overboard.
1.4 VESSEL DISCHARGES ELIGIBLE FOR COVERAGE
Discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel are covered unless they are listed in
Part 1.5 of this permit. Discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel, when operating
as a means of transportation, include, but are not limited to, anti-foulant hull coating leachate,
bilgewater, deck runoff, fish hold effluent, graywater, non-contact engine cooling water, packing
gland effluent, and underwater hull husbandry. For the purposes of this permit, not all vessel
discharges are considered incidental to normal operation of a vessel (e.g. industrial discharges).
1.5 VESSEL DISCHARGES NOT ELIGIBLE FOR COVERAGE
The following types of discharges are not authorized under this permit:
Vessel Discharges not Incidental to the Normal Operation of the Vessel
Discharges that are not incidental to the normal operation of the vessel operating in a
capacity as a means of transportation are not authorized under this permit. These discharges are
described in 40 CFR 122.3 and include, but are not limited to, discharges from industrial
2
operations (e.g., seafood processing), medical waste as defined in 33 § U.S.C. 1362(20), and noxious liquid substance residues subject to 33 CFR Part 151, Subpart A.
This the way it is to be. All you repub fisherfolk can thank Nixon for the EPA. Probably, most of the readers here weren't even alive then. For me, about the only worthwhile thing he did. Listening to our leaders go all oingo-boingo over it is high dudgeon.
All the EPA wanted was a fee for a permit for the runoff water from boats. It has nothing to do with Pebble. Chicken Little
We wanted Pebble to go away, EPA stepped in and is working in our favor, how come suddenly we are pointing fingers at EPA? seems confusing!
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