Hunters, Anglers, Sportsmen Call on Obama Administration and Federal Environmental Protection Agency to Protect Bristol Bay, Alaska
More than 360 outdoor organizations join forces and ask the EPA and White House to stand up for sportsmen and protect Bristol Bay
WASHINGTON, Feb. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A united coalition of fishing, hunting and sporting organizations from nearly every U.S. state joined together on Thursday to ask the federal Environmental Protection Agency to use its authority to protect Bristol Bay, Alaska from the dangers of the proposed Pebble Mine.
More than 360 organizations, ranging from fly fishing groups to big game hunters, signed a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, urging her to use the agency's authority under the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay from large-scale mining and development. Next week, representatives of these groups will meet with legislators and agency members in Washington, D.C. to ask for support.
"Hunters and anglers commend the EPA for taking this first important step," said Chris Wood, President and CEO of Trout Unlimited. "We are confident that after the science and other public input are considered, the EPA and the Obama Administration will stand with sport and commercial fishermen and the people of Alaska to protect the extraordinary ecological, economic, and cultural value of this place and this fishery."
The EPA took the first step toward protecting the Southwestern Alaskan region on Feb. 7, when the agency announced plans to assess the Bristol Bay watershed to better understand how future large-scale development projects may affect water quality and Bristol Bay's salmon fishery.
During a press conference on Thursday, representatives of the sporting organizations stressed the urgency of the situation. Bristol Bay generates roughly $450 million a year in economic impact and sustains about 12,000 jobs.
Pebble Mine would create an open-pit mine up to two miles wide and 1,700 feet deep. Operated by multi-national mining interests, this mine could dump up to 10 billion tons of perpetually toxic waste in the heart of the Bristol Bay watershed.
In the letter to Administrator Jackson, the organizations thank the EPA for the first step, but urge stronger action to protect Bristol Bay. The EPA has the authority under the Clean Water Act to invoke Section 404(c), which would give Bristol Bay the protection it needs from mining.
For more information, see www.SaveBristolBay.org or contact Lesley Rogers at (206)-334-1483 or [email protected]
SOURCE Trout Unlimited
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