Peltola's Pebble stance

U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, who is running for reelection, today announced she introduced a bill to nix the Pebble mine.

Fish politics

Saturday could be an especially interesting day in the Alaska Legislature.

Starting at 1 p.m., the House Fisheries and Resources committees will meet jointly to consider the governor's appointees to the state Board of Fisheries.

Two of these appointees face serious opposition.

Abe Williams is a Bristol Bay commercial salmon fisherman. He also works for the company looking to develop the Pebble mine, a fact that makes Williams a controversial pick for the board.

United Fishermen of Alaska is opposing Marit Carlson-Van Dort for continued service on the board. UFA says she's not truly a commercial fishing representative but rather a favorite of the Kenai River Sportfishing Association.

'Contrary to the public interest'

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has denied a permit for the proposed Pebble gold and copper mine near salmon-rich Bristol Bay.

Case dismissed

A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit opposing development of the Pebble mine. Here's the ruling.

BBRSDA, BBEDC sue EPA over proposed Pebble mine

Here are the lawsuit and a press release.

Trident's position on Pebble

Processing giant Trident Seafoods Corp., in a letter to Bristol Bay fishermen, is making clear its position on the proposed Pebble copper and gold mine.

"Trident Seafoods opposes the Pebble Mine project because it poses a significant risk to the many families, businesses, and communities that reply upon the natural resources of Bristol Bay," the letter begins.

Pebble is financing the lawsuit, BBRSDA says

Here's the statement.

BBRSDA sued

Six commercial fishermen have filed this lawsuit seeking to bar the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association from spending its money on trying to kill the proposed Pebble mine.

Deckboss first learned of this suit from craigmedred.news.

Pebble enlists a general

Here's the announcement.

Bristol Bay association clarifies Pebble stance

Read it here.

A Pebble bombshell

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

Here's that report

The Economic Importance of the Bristol Bay Salmon Industry

Coming Thursday

A new report titled "The Economic Importance of the Bristol Bay Salmon Industry" is scheduled for release at 10 a.m. Thursday.

Deckboss is told that "independent researchers" at the University of Alaska's Institute of Social and Economic Research wrote the report.

The outfit releasing it, however, is an ardent opponent of — you guessed it — the Pebble mine. That would be the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association.

Thursday's planned telepress conference will feature these participants: Scott Goldsmith, an ISER economist and co-author of the report; Johnathan Hillstrand, captain of the "Deadliest Catch" crab boat Time Bandit, which doubles as a salmon tender at Bristol Bay; John Garner, vice president of top Bristol Bay processor Trident Seafoods; Katherine Carscallen, a Bristol Bay fisherman; and Bob Waldrop, executive director of the BBRSDA.

Dan Rather discovers Bristol Bay

Former network news anchor Dan Rather will examine the Pebble mine controversy Tuesday in a special live broadcast from King Salmon.

EPA says big mining could hurt Bristol Bay salmon

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today issued a draft assessment of the Bristol Bay watershed, and whether large-scale mining could harm its famed salmon runs.

The assessment was done in response to the clamor over the proposed Pebble copper and gold mine, although the EPA says it didn't focus in-depth on any specific project.

Bottom line is, the EPA report "concludes that there is potential for certain activities associated with large-scale mining to have adverse impacts on the productivity and sustainability of the salmon fishery in the watershed."

The EPA stops far short, however, of declaring that major mining projects in the Bristol Bay watershed should be forbidden right here and now.

Find the full assessment report here. And here's an EPA press release.

Pair of fishy bills filed ahead of legislative session

The Alaska Legislature begins its 2012 session next Tuesday, and lawmakers have prefiled two bills of interest to the commercial fishing community.

House Bill 261 — An Act relating to loans for the purchase of commercial fishing entry permits. Sponsor: Rep. Bryce Edgmon, D-Dillingham.

Senate Bill 152 — An Act requiring legislative approval before the issuance of an authorization, license, permit, or approval of a plan of operation for a large-scale metallic sulfide mining operation that could affect water in or flowing into or over the Bristol Bay Fisheries Reserve. Sponsor: Sen. Hollis French, D-Anchorage.

PSPA weighs in on Pebble

The Pacific Seafood Processors Association has updated its stance on the proposed Pebble copper and gold mine in Southwest Alaska.

PSPA now concludes that "the level of risk posed by the Pebble mine is simply too high."

Read the organization's two-page statement here.

Deckboss snagged the statement off the website of the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association, which also opposes the mine.

Bristol Bay fishermen say thanks, solicit help

An interesting half-page ad appears in today's Anchorage Daily News.

"Thank you to those who purchased, served or ate Bristol Bay wild salmon this season," says the ad, with 100 commercial fishermen signing on.

That support injected up to $368 million into Alaska's economy and supported 3,567 jobs, the ad says.

It bears the logos of three nonprofit organizations: Trout Unlimited, the Alaska Independent Fishermen’s Marketing Association and the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association.

The ad also directs people to the Save Bristol Bay website.

Of course, this is more than an outpouring of thanks. It's another shot in the campaign to block development of the Pebble copper and gold mine proposed for the distant headwaters of Bristol Bay.

Board of Fisheries speaks on Pebble

Here's the state Board of Fisheries letter to the Alaska Legislature regarding the proposed Pebble mine and protections for the Bristol Bay watershed.

The board had signaled back in December the letter was coming.

Proposal 13 update

The Alaska Board of Fisheries today took no action on Proposal 13, which would have had the board send the state Legislature a resolution calling for creation of a Bristol Bay "fish refuge."

Instead, the board decided to send a letter to the Legislature noting that a lot of people expressed concerns at today's meeting about the potential for the proposed Pebble mine to hurt the region's abundant salmon and trout stocks.

The letter will recommend legislators adopt additional regulations, if warranted, to protect the fish and fish habitat, board member Karl Johnstone told me.

Sentiment among the 79 people who testified on Proposal 13 ran about two to one in favor, he said.

But the word "refuge" worried some people who felt development or existing land uses could be curtailed.

The board is aiming to have its letter drafted by the time its Anchorage meeting ends Tuesday.