In November, the U. Army Corps of Engineers rejected the key federal permit for Pebble mine. While this was unquestionably good news, it is not the end of the fight over Pebble Mine. While the current iteration of Pebble was rejected, the Pebble Limited Partnership PLP and the threat of large-scale, open-pit mining in Bristol Bay are not going away.
As long as there is a need for copper or gold, powerful interests will want to mine those minerals from the Pebble deposit. BBNC is working with Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, allies in Congress from both parties, and other regional stakeholders to advance a solution that both protects Bristol Bay and its salmon resource while funding sustainable economic opportunities for southwest Alaska.
BBNC is committed to pursuing this path because our region deserves a durable solution to Pebble and new economic opportunities for our people. Special Projects Highline.
HuffPost Personal Video Horoscopes. Follow Us. Terms Privacy Policy. Part of HuffPost Environment. All rights reserved. Some argue that as a domestic source of copper, Pebble will help the United States with resource independence.
Many groups and individuals believe that development of a large-scale mine in the Bristol Bay watershed will cause damage to the environment and harm the fishery. Negative impacts to wildlife and Native cultures have also been raised as a concern. In an independent poll conducted in by Hays Research Group, nearly 63 percent of voters polled were in favor of a ballot initiative that would prohibit mining in Bristol Bay. In a separate poll of Alaska voters, conducted in by Strategies and commissioned by BBNC, 53 percent of respondents statewide had unfavorable views of the project.
Just what impact a mine project such as Pebble would have on Bristol Bay salmon fisheries has been the subject of considerable debate. Concerns have been raised over possible impacts from such changes as new road construction crossing salmon streams, or mine operation activities — such as use of local water and tailings disposal — that could harm fish or fish habitat.
In response to those concerns, Pebble has shortened the transportation corridor in favor of a plan to ferry slurry across Lake Iliamna to a new port at Amakedori. An Environmental Impact Statement developed by the U.
Army Corps of Engineers as part of the permitting process will identify areas of concern. Read the study. Watch video of this session. It focuses on how large-scale mine development could affect the waters and fish in the area.
The assessment concludes that mine development would impact fish negatively, through the loss of streams and wetland habitat and potential affect on water quality. Executive Summary published January The public can address potential impacts on salmon runs and habitat during comment periods associated with the U.
Additional permits related to protecting salmon include the Fish Habitat Permit and Fish Passage Permit, neither of which allow for public comment. In January , the Pebble Limited Partnership released its EBD, presenting data collected in and around the Pebble deposit area and transportation corridor. This EBD contains thousands of pages of information and data about the physical, biological and human environment in Bristol Bay and Cook Inlet study regions. This is likely because it includes many of the same topics and data that will appear in an Environmental Impact Statement EIS , the document used by government permitters to review proposals before mine permits are granted.
However, an EIS would also include other components, such as an analysis of how the mine plan would impact the environment, and a range of alternative actions that would cause fewer impacts. Baseline data such as that included in the EBD is also typically used to support engineering designs included with a mine plan. Find the original EBD here. Keystone is a nonprofit organization based in Keystone, Colo.
It was engaged by the Pebble Limited Partnership to conduct an independent stakeholder assessment and science panels on the proposed Pebble mine. As part of the panels, third-party scientists reviewed and commented on environmental baseline studies conducted by PLP. Despite its funding, Keystone has maintained that it is independent. Proceedings of panels organized by Keystone in October and May are available to view online. Environmental impacts can only be understood by accurately assessing current conditions and predicting how those conditions might change due to development.
The EBD is a collection of multiple scientific studies conducted by 40 different companies and research firms that describe the environmental conditions in the project area over the period from some studies have continued in order to provide additional data. PLP stated that it took into account some of those recommendations. The EPA watershed assessment went beyond characterization of the environment to include discussion of the potential risks of large-scale mining.
A member review panel studied two drafts of the assessment and provided specific recommendations to EPA. The agency took those into consideration in preparing the final document , and has published its response to the comments.
Developers need dozens of separate permits local, state and federal to begin construction and operation of a large-scale mine in Bristol Bay. Army Corps of Engineers is the lead agency for the permitting process, and will write an Environmental Impact Statement EIS to assess risk of the development. The state of Alaska also requires Reclamation Bonding in order to ensure there are enough funds to reclaim a mine site if developers are unable to do so if a project fails financially, for example.
On May 18, , The U. DNR's comment letter attached page-specific technical comments compiled from multiple agencies. Links to the comments and supporting documents are listed below:. Posted April as part of a commitment to shared information, the Pebble Partnership has provided this environmental and socio-economic baseline data to state and federal agencies, project stakeholders, and the general public prior to project permitting.
The information contained in these reports is preliminary and is not to be cited or quoted. TWG meetings began in mid and covered a wide array of topics as seen in the meeting minutes below.
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