Bristol Bay Tribes Urge EPA to Resume Obama-Biden Process to Protect Bristol Bay

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 4, 2021

Bristol Bay Tribes Urge EPA to Resume Obama-Biden Process to Protect Bristol Bay
Amid record salmon run, the Biden administration has a clear window to fulfill their commitment to stop the Pebble Mine

DILLINGHAM, AK - Recently, the United Tribes of Bristol Bay (UTBB) urged Administrator Michael Regan of the Environmental Protection Agency to resume the process started under the Obama-Biden administration to provide lasting protection from toxic mining in the Bristol Bay region of southwest Alaska. In a letter sent to Administrator Regan in late July, UTBB asked the agency to officially reopen the 2014 Obama-Biden Clean Water Act Section 404(c) process to permanently protect the area from the proposed Pebble Mine, a process that was arbitrarily halted during the Trump Administration.  

The EPA’s 2014 404(c) “Proposed Determination” protections were the result of years of research and scientific study that concluded the Pebble Mine would have devastating impacts on the Bay. The UTBB letter notes that a recent court decision creates the opportunity for EPA to resume the 404c process to update and finalize protections for the area for generations to come - which would fulfill President Biden’s campaign commitment to permanently protect Bristol Bay.

“The recent decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Trout Unlimited et al., provides an opportunity for the EPA, under your leadership, to complete the Section 404(c) process begun in 2014 and provide the lasting protections that President Biden and President Obama promised to deliver,” the letter signed by UTBB Board President Robert Heyano says. “UTBB believes strongly that proper application of the law and the science to the current circumstances allows only one acceptable result: permanent protections for the Bristol Bay watershed through Section 404(c).”

The letter further states: “Salmon are the lifeblood of Bristol Bay’s Native people, not just holding deeply rooted religious and cultural significance, but also providing the primary present day sustainable economy for the Native communities of the region. Any disruption of the waters, such as Pebble Mine’s projected destruction of more than 80 miles of streams and 3,500 acres of wetlands, would devastate our communities.”

Protecting Bristol Bay from Pebble Mine is also essential to safeguarding the area’s thriving salmon industry. While salmon catches in California and Washington are at record lows, the salmon run this year in Bristol Bay has been record-breaking -- part of a longer, several-year uptick in numbers. 

Bristol Bay remains under threat from Pebble Mine despite a federal permit denial in 2020 that is currently in an appeals process. Pebble’s CEO, Ron Thiessen, said during a recent interview that “we have by no means given up on this project” and “this is just too good, too big to simply walk away from.” Previously, UTBB invited Administrator Regan to visit the region amid the launch of the “Finish the Job” campaign -- a comprehensive outreach and media effort including new TV, digital, and print ads urging the Biden administration to fulfill its commitment to protecting Bristol Bay.  

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