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Opponents of the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska, now have more ammunition in the battle: a new draft study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)has found that such a massive project would endanger the spawning grounds of the world’s largest stocks of wild Pacific salmon. The new study—”An Assessment of Potential Mining Impacts on Salmon Ecosystems of Bristol Bay, Alaska, Main Report”—points to a potential failure of the massive dams build to contain the mining waste as the biggest problem. But the findings also show that the amount of water required by the mine would damage fish habitat even without a dam failure.
The EPA is soliciting public opinion through July 24, before issuing a final report.
As you can imagine, the pro-mining lobby is not reacting well to this news. The Moldy Chum blog turned up this gem, which claims that the EPA is overstepping its authority and effectively annexing Alaska.
Click here to read the EPA report.
Click here to leave a public comment on the report.
Click here to read the MSNBC story.
Click here for the Orvis Stop Pebble Mine page.