Fishermen complaining against Pebble Mine project. (Photo Credit: Orvis)

EPA intends to protect salmon fisheries from Pebble Mine

UNITED STATES
Monday, July 21, 2014, 03:00 (GMT + 9)

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposes restrictions on a massive gold-and-copper prospect development near the headwaters of the world’s most valuable salmon fisheries, in Bristol Bay, Alaska.

The proposed restrictions are outlined in a document called the Proposed Determination and based on the construction and operation of a 0.25-billion-ton mine, which was the smallest of the three mine scenarios EPA analyzed in the Bristol Bay Assessment and is significantly smaller than the mine presented to Northern Dynasty Minerals.

The announcement came as EPA was being sued by Pebble Limited Partnership, the group behind the proposed Pebble Mine, and the state of Alaska for allegedly exceeding its authority, Associated Press reported.

The state and Pebble Partnership, which was created to design, permit and run the mine, argue EPA should not be able to ban the project before assessing the permitting process.

EPA states it took the decision to protect the area was made after science has shown that the development of this mine, which is backed by Northern Dynasty Minerals and the Pebble Limited Partnership, would be one of the largest open pit copper mines in the world and would threaten one of the world’s most productive salmon fisheries.

The region’s streams, wetlands, lakes and ponds provide intact habitat that supports all five species of Pacific salmon found in North America: coho, chinook, sockeye, chum, and pink. These salmon populations are critical to the health of the entire ecosystem, which is home to more than 20 other fish species, 190 bird species, and more than 40 terrestrial mammal species, including bears, moose, and caribou.

“Bristol Bay is an extraordinary ecosystem that supports an ancient fishing culture and economic powerhouse,” stated Dennis McLerran, Regional Administrator for EPA Region 10.

And he added: “The science is clear that mining the Pebble deposit would cause irreversible damage to one of the world’s last intact salmon ecosystems. Bristol Bay’s exceptional fisheries deserve exceptional protection. We are doing this now because we’ve heard from concerned tribes, the fishing industry, Alaskans and many others who have lived and worked for more than a decade under the uncertainty posed by this potentially destructive mine. Simply put, this is a uniquely large mine in a uniquely important place.”

According to EPA analyses, losses of the nature and magnitude of strems, wetlands, lakes and ponds would be unprecedented for the Clean Water Act Section 404 regulatory programme in the Bristol Bay region, as well as the rest of Alaska and perhaps the nation.

EPA Region 10 is seeking public comments on its proposal from 21 July to 19 September, 2014, and will hold public meetings in Alaska from 12-15 August.

In addition to holding public meetings, EPA Region 10 will meet with tribes for formal consultation, since most Alaska residents depend on salmon both as a major food resource and for their economic livelihood.

EPA Region 10 will review public comments on its proposal and consider next steps in the process, which could include moving toward a Recommended Determination to the EPA Assistant Administrator for Water.
 

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