Latest News

July 10, 2016 – KTUU reports that the two billionth salmon in the history of Bristol Bay’s 133-year commercial fishery was landed last week.
June 30, 2016 – The controversial mega-dam proposed for the Susitna River is a victim of Alaska’s budget crisis, as Governor Walker announced over $1 billion in vetoes this week, per the Alaska Dispatch News.
June 30, 2016 – The U.S. Forest Service released the amended forest plan for the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska. The amended plan was met by praise from Trout Unlimited, which also pointed out several threats that the amended forest plan is facing in Congress before it can even be implemented.
June 30, 2016 – Coverage of the USFS’ amended management plan for the Tongass National Forest can be found in the Juneau Empire and on Alaska Public Media. The plan includes many provisions that improve protections for valuable fish and wildlife habitat on the Tongass, which help support Southeast Alaska’s huge fishing, tourism, and recreation industries.
June 27, 2016 – Alaska Native groups joined with conservation interests in asking the U.S. Dept. of Interior to investigate whether mining projects in British Columbia are impacting Alaska fish and game resources. Alaska’s entire Congressional delegation has also asked the Obama administration to get involved with the Transboundary mining threat. Story in the Alaska Dispatch News.
June 27, 2016 – A Bristol Bay commercial fisherman writes of the fish and wildlife experiences he’s had from the deck of a fishing boat in the Alaska Dispatch News.
June 23, 2016 – A U.S. House of Representatives committee held a hearing yesterday that featured much testimony on the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay. Good coverage in the Alaska Dispatch News and on Alaska Public Radio.
June 16, 2016 – Southeast Alaska groups are in Canada’s capitol to raise international concerns over British Columbia mining projects that threaten river systems that flow into and through Alaska, per the Times Colonist.
June 13, 2016 – The Pebble Limited Partnership is threatening to file a complaint that would saddle the U.S. taxpaying public with costs of their so far unsuccessful bid to build a mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska, according to this Huffington Post entry.
June 9, 2016 – The latest financial reports on the Pebble Limited Partnership are not so good, per this entry on the Huffington Post.
May 26, 2016 – A stronger run of king salmon is forecast in Alaska this season, according to this story in the Alaska Dispatch News.
May 18, 2016 – Concerns over the threat of mine pollution from British Columbia mining operations that are upstream on several Southeast Alaska river systems gained more urgency with a report condemning the effectiveness of BC mining regulations and enforcement, per the Alaska Dispatch News.
May 5, 2016 – The Alaska Dispatch News reports on this year’s Bristol Bay River Academy, to be held in June, that trains young residents of the region for jobs in the sport fishing industry.
May 4, 2016 – The Juneau Empire reports on the pollution problem at the Tulsequah Chief mine in British Columbia, in a river that connects to Southeast Alaska’s Taku River system. Learn more about the Transboundary mining threats at Salmon Beyond Borders.
May 3, 2016 – The New Yorker reports on the retired EPA biologist who is accused by the proponents of the Pebble Mine of unfairly treating their proposed project in Bristol Bay.
May 2, 2016 – The Alaska Dispatch News reports on the conservation easement entered into by a native corporation in Bristol Bay to conserve the habitat of Lake Iliamna’s unique freshwater seal population.
April 28, 2016 – The Alaska Dispatch News reports on today’s contentious hearing in the U.S. House Science & Technology committee, where EPA’s Region 10 Administrator was questioned about the agency’s work in Bristol Bay regarding the proposed Pebble Mine project.
April 28, 2016 – A lifelong Bristol Bay commercial fisherman wrote a piece in the Huffington Post, asking why the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology is doing the bidding of a foreign-owned mining project while disregarding the concerns of Bristol Bay and Alaska residents about the proposed Pebble Mine.
April 27, 2016 – Tomorrow’s hearing in the House Committee on Science & Technology is the subject of this piece in The Hill. In advance of the hearing, sporting interests from Texas sent a letter to the committee chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX). Bristol Bay residents also sent a similar letter to the chair.
April 27, 2016 – Four Bristol Bay youth who’ve grown up under the cloud of the proposed Pebble Mine wrote an opinion editorial in the Alaska Dispatch News urging the U.S. House Committee on Science & Technology to visit Bristol Bay and consider the will of the vast majority of the region’s residents before deciding from afar if the Pebble Mine is a good idea.
April 26, 2016 – A column in the Huffington Post focuses on the shaky state of Northern Dynasty Minerals’ finances, and the latest ploy of threatening to sue the U.S. government (and taxpayers, ultimately) over the proposed Pebble Mine project in Bristol Bay.
April 20, 2016 – There is a proposal to mine heavy minerals (including garnet and zircon) from a huge area of beach near Yakutat, in an area known as the “Lost Coast,” per this story in the Alaska Journal of Commerce.
April 4, 2016 – The retired EPA scientist at the center of many of the Pebble Limited Partnership’s allegations of bias by the EPA against the proposed Pebble Mine project in Bristol Bay told the story of his involvement in the issue to the Alaska Dispatch News.
March 30, 2016 – The Alaska Dispatch News reports that a former EPA scientist is being deposed by the Pebble Limited Partnership as part of PLP’s lawsuit against the EPA, and the same scientist has been served with a subpoena to appear before a U.S. House committee in April.
March 28, 2016 – The Alaska Dispatch News reports that the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a case brought by the State of Alaska, challenging the enforcement of the Roadless Rule on the Tongass National Forest – a nice win for fish, game, and the industries that depend on them.
March 27, 2016 – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is pressing the Pebble Limited Partnership for records about the stalled Pebble Mine project in Bristol Bay as part of the ongoing legal battles between the agency and the company, per the Alaska Dispatch News.
March 25, 2016 – Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has announced his opposition to the proposed Pebble Mine project after his wife met with Bristol Bay tribal leaders to discuss the issue, per the Alaska Dispatch News.
March 8, 2016 – The Switchboard blog discusses the Alaska legislature hosting the Cohen Group, who was hired by the Pebble Limited Partnership, to address Pebble’s ongoing struggles with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
March 7, 2016 – The fishing blog Gink & Gasoline ran a story warning that the Pebble Mine fight is not over.
February 29, 2016 – A commercial fishing group leader from Southeast Alaska wrote an opinion editorial in the Juneau Empire, urging Alaskans and their leaders to call on Secretary of State John Kerry to engage the government of Canada over risks to salmon-producing rivers in Southeast from mining development in British Columbia.
February 25, 2016 – Over 40 leading hunting & angling groups and businesses asked the field of presidential candidates “Where do you stand on the Pebble Mine?” Coverage in the Alaska Dispatch News, KTUU, and the Field & Stream Fly Talk blog.
February 8, 2016 – At a recent conference in Anchorage, a top EPA official stated that due the Pebble mine's backers litigation delay, any agency action to block mining in Bristol Bay will likely have to wait until the next presidential administration, per the Alaska Dispatch News.
January 26, 2016 – The Huffington Post ran a column detailing the alternate reality in which the Pebble Limited Partnership seems to operate these days.
January 26, 2016 – The CEO of Hunter Dickinson (parent of Northern Dynasty Minerals) recently spoke about his company’s hopes to advance the proposed Pebble Mine project in Bristol Bay. Pebble is not going down without a fight. Story in Mining Weekly.
January 23, 2016 – The New York Times ran an opinion editorial on the threat of transboundary mines in British Columbia to southeast Alaskan rivers and fisheries.
January 18, 2016 – As Northern Dynasty Minerals sees its share price bounce around recent historic lows ($0.24/share), another institutional investor has shed its holdings, per Zolmax News.
January 15, 2016 – The Huffington Post contrasted the gracious way that Rio Tinto divested from the Pebble Mine project and left Bristol Bay with the ongoing tone-deaf way that Northern Dynasty Minerals continues to operate.
January 13, 2016 – The Environmental Protection Agency’s independent Inspector General was asked by the Pebble Limited Partnership to conduct a review of the agency’s actions regarding the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment process. The IG report was released today, finding no bias or pre-determined outcome on the side of the EPA. Reports from:
- Washington Post including a quote from SAA Director Scott Hed
- Alaska Dispatch News
- KDLG radio
January 13, 2016 – Today, the EPA’s independent Inspector General found no evidence of wrongdoing in EPA’s handling of the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment and the agency’s work in Bristol Bay to study the proposed Pebble Mine. Lots of coverage and reaction:
- Washington Post including a quote from SAA Director Scott Hed
- DC publication The Hill
- Alaska Dispatch News
- KDLG radio
- Statement from EPA Regional Administrator Dennis McLerran
January 5, 2016 – KDLG recaps the year in Bristol Bay, including President Obama’s visit to Dillingham and the highlights of 2015 related to Pebble Mine.
December 14, 2015 – The winter issue of the World Wildlife Fund magazine has a large feature story on the importance of Bristol Bay and its unmatched salmon fishery.
December 11, 2015 – KDLG reports on a recently-introduce bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would remove Section 404c from the Clean Water Act. Section 404c is the portion of the CWA that the Environmental Protection Agency is employing in Bristol Bay to propose limitations on the disposal of dredge and fill materials from proposed large mines such as the Pebble Mine.
November 23, 2015 – The Pebble Limited Partnership is dropping additional subpoenas against anti-mine organizations and individuals in Alaska, Montana, and Washington state in the wake of recently having two similar subpoenas quashed by a federal judge in Alaska, per the Alaska Dispatch News.
November 19, 2015 – The U.S. Forest Service has released the Proposed Amended Land and Resource Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska. Read the proposed amendment and learn how to comment here.
November 18, 2015 – A federal judge in Alaska has quashed two subpoenas by the Pebble Limited Partnership that sought records from parties opposed to the proposed Pebble Mine. Stories from KDLG, the Alaska Dispatch News, and the Cordova Times.
November 18, 2015 – KTUU reports that the Pebble Limited Partnership has heard a lot of complaints and criticisms over its proposed mine in Bristol Bay. But, the company is not willing to honor the wishes of the vast majority of regional residents and give up on the project.
November 7, 2015 – The chairman of the board of Tiffany & Company wrote an opinion editorial in the New York Times about Bristol Bay being a place where the cost of gold is not worth the price to extract it.
November 6, 2015 – Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay, United Tribes of Bristol Bay, and Trout Unlimited Alaska issued a joint press release in response to yesterday’s U.S. House of Representatives hearing on the Cohen Report and alleged “unfairness” in how the proposed Pebble Mine has been treated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
November 5, 2015 – You can read the testimony from former Alaska state senate president Rick Halford from today’s U.S. House of Representatives hearing about EPA’s work in Bristol Bay.
November 5, 2015 – A Bristol Bay native leader wrote an opinion editorial in the Alaska Dispatch News urging Pebble Mine to clean up the mess it’s left in Bristol Bay.
November 5, 2015 – Media Matters ran a couple of columns rebutting the information in the Pebble-funded Cohen Report, see them here and here.
November 5, 2015 – Alaska Public Media reports on today’s U.S. House committee hearing that was heavily tilted toward the pro-Pebble Mine side, with only one (terrific) witness speaking in defense of Bristol Bay.
November 4, 2015 – In advance of tomorrow’s U.S. House committee hearing on the Pebble-funded Cohen Report, several organizations issued press releases including United Tribes of Bristol Bay, Trout Unlimited Alaska, and Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay.
November 4, 2015 – The Huffington Post ran a guest column on the Pebble-funded Cohen Report that will be the subject of a U.S. House hearing tomorrow.
November 4, 2015 – The Hill ran an article discussing the battle between the various interests fighting to protect Bristol Bay and the backers of the proposed Pebble Mine over the EPA’s involvement in Bristol Bay.
November 3, 2015 – An Alaska sport fishing lodge owner and a commercial fisherman co-wrote an opinion piece in The Hill laying out the case for Pebble Mine deceiving Alaskans for the past decade.
November 3, 2015 – Groups opposed to the proposed Pebble Mine fear that the company, facing financial difficulties, will leave a mess from their exploration work in Bristol Bay for the State of Alaska to clean up, per the Alaska Dispatch News.
October 23, 2015 – A call to stay the course and not get complacent in the fight against the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay by a former Reagan Administration official on MidCurrent.
October 19, 2015 – The executive director of the United Tribes of Bristol Bay wrote an opinion editorial in the Alaska Dispatch News about the Pebble Limited Partnership’s efforts to fight the EPA and silence critics of the proposed Pebble Mine through lawsuits.
October 15, 2015 – EP Newswire reports that the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology will hold a hearing on November 5 on the Cohen Report and the EPA’s review of the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay. KTOO also provided coverage of this news.
October 12, 2015 – An Alaska native who works at the White House wrote an opinion editorial in the Alaska Dispatch News about what President Obama’s visit to Alaska meant to her.
October 9, 2015 – KDLG radio offers up two interviews with opposing viewpoints on the recently-released Cohen Report which was paid for by the Pebble Limited Partnership and is critical of the way EPA went about its work under the Clean Water Act process that could possibly protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine.
October 7, 2015 – Hatch Magazine pulled no punches in calling out the Cohen Group for parroting the Pebble Limited Partnership’s talking points in it’s supposed “independent” review of EPA’s actions to potentially prevent mining pollution in the Bristol Bay region under the Clean Water Act.
October 7, 2015 – The Huffington Post ran an opinion editorial that calls the Cohen report nothing more than a public relations stunt by the very desperate Pebble Mine backers.
October 7, 2015 – In a series of decisions, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources granted in-stream water rights to a group of citizens (for the first time in Alaska’s history) for water that supports salmon runs in the Chuitna River, while at the same time denying two other claims that fall within the borders of the proposed Chuitna coal mine, per Alaska Fish Radio.
October 6, 2015 – The Alaska Dispatch News reports on the Pebble-funded report that is critical of EPA’s work in Bristol Bay, including reaction from several organizations interested in seeing Bristol Bay protected from the proposed Pebble Mine.
October 6, 2015 – Groups seeking to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine reacted swiftly and strongly to the just-released Cohen report:
- United Tribes of Bristol Bay
- Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay
- Trout Unlimited Alaska
October 6, 2015 – The Pebble Limited Partnership paid to have an “independent” report done by the Cohen Group, and unsurprisingly, the report suggests that the EPA acted unfairly toward the Pebble Mine project when it placed restrictions on development in the Bristol Bay region, per a story in the Washington Post.
October 3, 2015 – With little financial backing, the Pebble Limited Partnership is doing everything it can to delay EPA action that could protect Bristol Bay under the Clean Water Act. This story in the Alaska Dispatch News tells of the broad net that PLP is casting in its effort to back up claims that the EPA unfairly acted with mine opponents to derail the project.
September 18, 2015 – Bristol Bay native and commercial fishing leaders wrote an opinion editorial in The Hill thanking President Obama for his visit to the region and urging him to “put fish first” when considering federal actions in Bristol Bay.
September 12, 2015 – A Bristol Bay fisherman placed a letter to the editor in the Wall Street Journal thanking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for getting involved in the debate over the proposed Pebble Mine.
September 8, 2015 – KDLG reports that the 2015 Bristol Bay sockeye return was the 3rd largest ever – 58 million fish!
September 4, 2015 – Click here see a slide show of images by the Chief Official White House Photographer from President Obama’s visit to Alaska this week.
September 3, 2015 – A Bristol Bay leader recounts his time spent with President Obama in Dillingham, reported by the Alaska Dispatch News. There is also a great slide show of the President’s visit to Dillingham.
September 2, 2015 – The village of Dillingham is preparing for a visit from President Obama per this video from the Alaska Dispatch News.
September 2, 2015 – President Obama visited the Bristol Bay fishing community of Dillingham – and had a salmon spawn on his shoes! Read the story (and see the picture) in the U.S. News & World Report.
September 2, 2015 – NBC News reports on the proposed Pebble Mine and the Bristol Bay salmon fishery that is threatened by the project in the wake of President Obama’s visit to Alaska.
September 1, 2015 – A Trout Unlimited blog post urges President Obama to take action under the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty to address concerns over potential pollution to Southeast Alaska rivers that originate in British Columbia due to rampant mining development on the Canada side of the border.
September 1, 2015 – The Alaska Dispatch News reports on preparations in the village of Dillingham for President Obama’s upcoming visit, including a photo gallery.
August 27, 2015 – A new poll released in advance of President Obama’s coming trip to Alaska reveals that Alaskans continue to strongly oppose the idea of the proposed Pebble Mine in the Bristol Bay region.
August 15, 2015 – A Bristol Bay resident wrote an opinion editorial in the Bristol Bay Times recounting the one-year anniversary of the Mt. Polley mine disaster and the threat that Bristol Bay still faces from the proposed Pebble Mine.
August 13, 2015 – President Obama is planning to visit Alaska later this month to address a global summit on Arctic issues. Here’s a preview video from the White House, via the Alaska Dispatch News.
August 13, 2015 – This opinion editorial in the Los Angeles Times focuses on the recent toxic spill at the abandoned Animas Mine in Colorado, and includes a mention of the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
August 5, 2015 – The CEO of the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation wrote an opinion editorial in the Alaska Dispatch News stating that, despite the huge sockeye returns this season, Bristol Bay still must be protected.
July 29, 2015 – The Alaska Dispatch News reports that the U.S. 9th Circuit Court has upheld the “Roadless Rule” in Southeast Alaska’s Tongass National Forest. The prevailing plaintiffs were represented by Earthjustice, whose report on the ruling can be read here.
July 25, 2015 – After a slow start, the Bristol Bay sockeye salmon run is setting records per the Bristol Bay Times.
July 13, 2015 – The Alaska Dispatch News ran a neat story about the Bristol Bay River Academy which is teaching sport fish guiding skills to local youth in Bristol Bay.
July 10, 2015 – The Outdoor Wire ran an opinion editorial from Salmon Beyond Borders, taking the government of British Columbia to task over the reopening of the Mt. Polley Mine (that suffered a catastrophic tailings dam failure less than a year ago) which still poses tremendous risks to Southeast Alaska’s clean waters and fisheries.
June 30, 2015 / Here’s an update on the Transboundary mining threats to Southeast Alaska from Salmon Beyond Borders
June 22, 2015 – Here’s a nice tribute to Bristol Bay native leader Bobby Andrew who passed away last month.
June 21, 2015 – The Seattle Times ran an opinion piece by Chef Tom Douglas and Mark Titus (director of The Breach documentary) on how to save wild salmon with a fork and knife.
June 5, 2015 – The Arctic Sounder praised the Alaska Supreme Court’s two recent decisions related to the Pebble Mine in an editorial, saying that the decisions will benefit Alaskans across the state by improving permitting procedures and allowing public engagement in resource permitting decisions.
BREAKING NEWS: Pebble Lawsuit vs. EPA Allowed to Continue
June 4, 2015 – A federal judge has denied the EPA’s motion to dismiss one of the Pebble Limited Partnership’s lawsuits against the agency. This means that the injunction that is preventing the EPA from advancing their Clean Water Act work in Bristol Bay remains in place. Coverage and reaction:
- Alaska Journal of Commerce story
- Alaska Dispatch News story
- United Tribes of Bristol Bay press release
- Trout Unlimited Alaska press release
- Huffington Post blog
- Northern Dynasty Minerals press release
June 1, 2015 – Trout's Fly Fishing featured SAA Director Scott Hed in an interview for their online blog.
May 29, 2015 – The Alaska State Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of parties opposed to the proposed Pebble Mine, to give the public a voice in mineral exploration per the Alaska Dispatch News.
May 29, 2015 – Additional coverage from the Cordova Times of today’s Alaska State Supreme Court rulings that found the State of Alaska did not employ the required public process when issuing permits for exploratory work done at the site of the proposed Pebble Mine.
May 28, 2015 – The Alaska Dispatch News reports that the Pebble Limited Partnership had one of its suits against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency thrown out by a federal appeals court, and that arguments in another of Pebble’s suits against the EPA are taking place in a federal courtroom in Anchorage today.
May 28, 2015 – The Alaska Journal of Commerce recaps today’s arguments in federal court in the request by the EPA to dismiss one of Pebble Limited Partnership’s lawsuits against the agency that is delaying EPA’s work to use the Clean Water Act in Bristol Bay.
May 27, 2015 – A federal judge in Anchorage is scheduled to hear arguments tomorrow in one of the Pebble Limited Partnership’s lawsuits against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over allegations that the EPA unfairly worked with opponents of the Pebble Mine to derail the project, per the Alaska Dispatch News.
May 22, 2015 – The Bristol Bay Times reports on the memorial service for Bristol Bay native leader Bobby Andrew, who traveled the globe to see that Bristol Bay is protected from the proposed Pebble Mine.
May 21, 2015 – The Trout Unlimited blog features a great story of a family adventure to the Kvichak River in Bristol Bay – another reason to fight for Bristol Bay…the ability of future generations to enjoy this unique place.
May 21, 2015 – Energy & Environment News covers efforts by the Pebble Limited Partnership to stoke the ongoing investigation by EPA’s Office of the Inspector General into alleged collusion between the agency and anti-mine activists.
May 18, 2015 – Courthouse News Service reports on a request by the EPA to dismiss one of the Pebble Limited Partnership’s lawsuits against the agency during arguments before the U.S. 9th Circuit Court.
May 15, 2015 – The University of Utah reports on a new tool to save salmon: Isotope tracking, which can show where fish were born and spent their lives. The study is based on data collected in Bristol Bay, Alaska.
May 15, 2015 – The Alaska Journal of Commerce reports that both the EPA and the Pebble Limited Partnership have asked a federal judge in Alaska to not delay the upcoming hearing in the lawsuit over EPA’s Clean Water act work in Bristol Bay.
May 13, 2015 – A leading voice in the fight to protect Bristol Bay, elder Bobby Andrew, passed away this week. Stories from KDLG and the Alaska Dispatch News.
May 6, 2015 – Politico speculates on a possible challenge by just-unseated Senator Mark Begich to Senator Lisa Murkowski’s seat in 2016.
May 5, 2015 – The Globe & Mail reports that pollutants from last year’s Mount Polley mine tailings dam breach may have long-term effects on the water and fishery resources of the region.
May 5, 2015 – Citing an ongoing EPA Inspector General investigation, a federal judge in Alaska is considering delaying the next hearing in the lawsuit that currently has an injunction placed on EPA’s Clean Water work in Bristol Bay, according to the Alaska Dispatch News.
May 2, 2015 – The Alaska Dispatch News reports on efforts by the Pebble Limited Partnership to keep their proposed mine project in Bristol Bay alive, largely centered on litigation and legislation.
April 28, 2015 – The executive director of the Kenai River Sportfishing Association wrote a response to the April 23 opinion editorial about the Alaska Board of Fisheries nomination process in the Alaska Dispatch News.
April 28, 2015 – A columnist in the Huffington Post opines that Pebble Mine is down to “lawyers, lobbyists, and legislators.
April 25, 2015 – The Alaska Dispatch News has an interesting story about hatcheries’ role in Alaska fisheries.
April 23, 2015 – A Kenai Peninsula recreational angler wrote an opinion editorial in the Alaska Dispatch News about the political wrangling over an open seat on the Alaska Board of Fisheries.
April 20, 2015 – A former Alaska state trooper who resides on Prince of Wales Island wrote an opinion editorial in the Alaska Dispatch News arguing that the Tongass National Forest doesn’t need to return to industrial scale logging.
April 16, 2015 – The Executive Director of the Dallas Safari Club wrote an opinion editorial for The Hill regarding the battle to protect Bristol Bay not being over, and that sporting groups will fight until the bitter end to stop the Pebble Mine.
April 13, 2015 – 18 of the nation’s leading hunting conservation organizations sent a letter to Congressional appropriations leaders, urging them to allow EPA to finish its work in Bristol Bay.
April 3, 2015 – The proposed Chuitna coal mine and water rights law in Alaska are the subject of an opinion editorial from a water policy expert in the Alaska Dispatch News.
March 31, 2015 – Why is the USA sending its best wild seafood abroad while consuming high volumes of farmed fish? Bristol Bay salmon is featured in this Forbes.com article.
March 30, 2015 – The top man at Trout Unlimited is calling for an end to the delays on the work to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine in this TU blog post.
March 30, 2015 – KTUU News reports that the Pebble Partnership is asking for a judge to subpoena email records from an internet service provider related to a former EPA employee’s account. Pebble continues its battle on the legal front…
March 27, 2015 – The Pebble Limited Partnership has a unique definition of “independent” per this Huffington Post column that discusses Pebble’s recent efforts to hire two more DC-based firms to conduct an “independent” review of the “fairness” of EPA’s actions related to the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
March 27, 2015 – A Bristol Bay native leader wrote an opinion editorial in the Bristol Bay Times about the recent successful tour in Alaska featuring the documentary film The Breach and how the residents of Bristol Bay continue to battle the proposed Pebble Mine.
March 24, 2015 – KDLG reports that the Pebble Limited Partnership has hired former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen to conduct a review on the “fairness” of EPA’s work in Bristol Bay that could result in the proposed Pebble Mine not being permitted. This is the latest attempt by Pebble to delay the process and call into question EPA’s work.
March 22, 2015 – Trout Unlimited’s Alaska program director responded to former Governor and U.S. Senator Frank Murkowski’s recent criticism of the EPA over the proposed Pebble Mine in an opinion editorial in the Fairbanks News Miner.
March 9, 2015 – Salmon Beyond Borders has a great article from Trout magazine about the efforts of Southeast Alaskans to fight the threats of mines on the British Columbia side of the “Transboundary” region that would impact rivers flowing out of British Columbia and into/through Alaska.
February 17, 2015 – Renowned hunting conservationist Shane Mahoney wrote an excellent piece about Bristol Bay and the proposed Pebble Mine for the North American Hunting Club.
February 13, 2015 – The Arctic Sounder reports that Alaska Supreme Court judges have ruled in favor of the legality of the Bristol Bay Forever Initiative, which modifies the 1972 Bristol Bay Fisheries Reserve to add mining to a list of activities that must receive approval from the Alaska Legislature. The initiative passed in November’s election, receiving a majority of the vote in every election district in the state.
February 5, 2015 – E&E News' Greenwire reports that while the proposed Pebble mine’s fortunes are hanging by a thread, other mining claims are being proposed in the Bristol Bay region, and it’s setting up for more battles.
February 4, 2015 – Concerns have arisen in Southwest Alaska’s Bristol Bay region over another proposed mining project, adjacent to the Pebble prospect. The Groundhog mine is the subject of a story in the Alaska Journal of Commerce and Alaska Native News.
February 3, 2015 – WMAN television reports that search warrants were executed at the offices of Imperial Metals in the investigation over last year’s failure of the tailings dam at the Mt. Polley mine in British Columbia.
February 1, 2015 – A new report on last year’s tailings dam failure at the Mt. Polley mine released by the provincial government of British Columbia has done nothing to reduce the fears of Southeast Alaskans over the development of other large mines in the Transboundary region, according to the Globe & Mail and Alaska Native News.
January 30, 2015 – The winter edition of the webzine Flymage features a Bristol Bay update and photo essay by SAA Director Scott Hed.
January 27, 2015 – Pebble Limited Partnership CEO Tom Collier is the feature interview on KDLG radio's Bristol Bay & Beyond, discussing the lawsuit that has halted EPA’s work that could potentially protect Bristol Bay from large-scale mining like Pebble.
January 26, 2015 – The U.S. Forest Service has released its Land and Resource Management Plan Amendment Newsletter and is hosting a series of open houses in Southeast Alaska to discuss the Plan Amendment.
January 24, 2015 – Conservationists in Alaska are generally optimistic about the changes being made in the leadership of the Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game under new governor Walker, per the Alaska Dispatch News.
January 23, 2015 – A bill has been re-introduced in the new Congress seeking to strip the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of the authority to use a section of the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay from large-scale mining impacts. Alaska Native News and UnderCurrent News have the story.
January 22, 2015 – The United Tribes of Bristol Bay are disappointed that Senators from outside Alaska are seeking to block the EPA’s ability to protect Bristol Bay via legislation in Congress, according to Alaska Native News.
January 14, 2015 – The Juneau Empire editorialized on the need to continue funding the studies into the decline of Chinook (king) salmon populations across Alaska. New governor Bill Walker has proposed cutting funding for the Chinook Salmon Research Initiative.
January 14, 2015 – Northern Dynasty Minerals raised approx. $13 million by selling shares to prop up its Pebble project and fund the legal fight they’re engaged with vs. the EPA, per the Alaska Dispatch News and KDLG. NDM continues to seek new investors for the project after its major partners divested in 2014.
January 11, 2015 – North of 60 Mining News reports on President Obama’s recent action to protect Bristol Bay’s offshore waters from oil and gas exploration and development, and how it may or may not play into the efforts to see the proposed Pebble Mine stopped.
January 8, 2015 – KDLG radio reports that The Breach, a documentary film about the status of wild Pacific Salmon in North America, will debut soon at the Palm Springs (CA) film festival and then tour the USA. Bristol Bay is heavily featured in the film.
January 5, 2015 – The Huffington Post ran a piece that highlights the efforts to protect Bristol Bay during 2014, which included a lot of lawsuits as well as major investors departing the proposed Pebble Mine project.
January 1, 2015 – The Juneau Empire gives a rundown of the state of major mining projects across Alaska, including the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.

2014

December 29, 2014 – SAA Director Scott Hed wrote an end of 2014 update on the Bristol Bay campaign that ran in Angling Trade.
December 23, 2014 – The Alaska Journal of Commerce provides a brief recap of 2014’s legal battles between the Pebble Limited Partnership and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
December 20, 2014 – An attorney who has worked for a quarter-century defending areas of Southeast Alaska’s Tongass National Forest is featured in Saving the Forest for the Trees.
December 19, 2014 – President Obama’s action to remove Bristol Bay’s offshore waters from federal oil and gas leasing programs is covered in the Arctic Sounder with quotes from regional Native leaders and commercial fishing interests.
December 19, 2014 – In an editorial, the Los Angeles Times applauded President Obama’s decision to protect Bristol Bay from offshore oil and gas exploration and development – but said the job will not be finished until the rivers that feed the Bay are protected from the proposed Pebble Mine.
December 18, 2014 – Despite the fact that much progress was made and strong momentum is behind the effort to protect Bristol Bay, SAA director Scott Hed was featured by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership in their Top 10 Underreported Conservation Stories of 2014. Pebble Mine is not dead yet.
December 17, 2014 – The Orvis News featured a statement from SAA director Scott Hed about the proposed Pebble Mine in its coverage of yesterday’s announcement that President Obama has protected offshore areas of Bristol Bay from oil and gas exploration and development.
December 16, 2014 – Alaska’s new governor has removed funding for the proposed monstrous Susitna Dam project from his budget, per this Trout Unlimited blog post.
December 16, 2014 – President Obama has issued a moratorium on offshore oil and gas exploration and production for Bristol Bay. Watch the President talk about this action in this short YouTube video from the White House. Note however, that this does not impact the proposed Pebble Mine, which remains a huge threat.
December 12, 2014 – The Juneau Empire ran an opinion editorial from a Bristol Bay commercial and subsistence fisherman who says that Bristol Bay’s salmon are in the spotlight – and deserve to be. With a massive run forecast for 2015, ongoing litigation from the Pebble Limited Partnership against the EPA, and new leaders in Alaska and Congress, the coming year will be a big one for Bristol Bay.
December 10, 2014 – The state of Alaska cannot afford the proposed Susitna Dam, according to this opinion editorial in the Fairbanks News Miner.
December 10, 2014 – Fisherman's News Online covers a new report commissioned by the Trout Unlimited’s Alaska program called Dreams, Risks and Realities which concludes that the proposed Susitna Dam is an enormous waste of Alaska’s money.
December 8, 2014 – A new report calls into question the economic viability of the proposed Susitna Dam project, in this Alaska Dispatch News article.
December 2, 2014 – The Vancouver Sun reports that Alaskans fear environmental, industrial threats from mines in northwest British Columbia.
November 26, 2014 – The Alaska Journal of Commerce covers this week’s judge’s ruling to temporarily suspend the EPA’s Clean Water Act process that could potentially see Bristol Bay protected from the proposed Pebble Mine.
November 26, 2014 – FOX News covered the EPA’s legal battle with the Pebble Limited Partnership over how the agency can use the Clean Water Act process to possibly protect Bristol Bay (includes 2-minute video segment).
November 26, 2014 – The Presidents and CEOs of the Bristol Bay Native Corporation and the Bristol Bay Native Association co-authored an opinion editorial in the Alaska Dispatch News giving thanks for the resources of Bristol Bay and vowing to continue fighting to protect them.
November 25, 2014 – The Alaska Native News gave perspective to this week’s court ruling that has temporarily halted the EPA’s work to possibly protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine by using the Clean Water Act.
November 25, 2014 – Think Progress provides more coverage of the temporary injunction issued in a lawsuit seeking to stop EPA from using the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine.
November 24, 2014 – The Alaska Dispatch News reports that a federal judge has issued a temporary injunction that halts the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s process that could protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine under the Clean Water Act. EPA was intending to decide on taking the next step in the CWA Section 404c process in early 2015. This ruling will likely delay that timeline. This development was also covered in The Hill, Alaska Public Media, and Mining.com among others.
November 24, 2014 – Response to today’s news that the EPA’s process that could protect Bristol Bay will be delayed by a lawsuit from the Pebble Limited Partnership was greeted with dismay and disappointment by Trout Unlimited Alaska and the United Tribes of Bristol Bay.
November 23, 2014 – A professor from the University of Washington wrote an opinion editorial in the Seattle Times about the proposed Susitna Dam project in south central Alaska.
November 19, 2014 – Bristol Bay is forecast to receive the biggest returns of sockeye salmon – 54 million fish! – in the past 20 years, according to figures released by the AK Dept. of Fish & Game and reported in the Alaska Dispatch News.
November 19, 2014 – In a reminder that mines can cause long-lasting problems, an Australian-led mining company and five of its executives are facing criminal charges (a first in Alaska) over alleged violations of the Clean Water Act related to a platinum mine in western Alaska, per the Alaska Dispatch News.
November 18, 2014 – Trout Unlimited Alaska issued a press release on how the Tongass National Forest’s planned transition out of logging old-growth trees and toward a more sustainable harvest model based on second-growth trees is being stalled. The report from Headwaters Economics can be viewed at The Tongass Transition Framework: A New Path Forward?
November 14, 2014 – The Juneau Empire editorialized on the need to continue to put pressure on officials over proposed large-scale mines along the British Columbia – Southeast Alaska border.
November 12, 2014 – Seabridge Gold’s KSM mine, proposed in British Columbia but with potential impacts on Alaskan waters and fisheries, is deemed “risky and uncertain” in this story from MarketWatch.com.
November 11, 2014 – Hatch magazine reminds us that Pebble Mine is down, but not out.
November 6, 2014 – The future of the proposed Pebble Mine and the success of Ballot Measure 4 this week were subjects discussed at the Alaska Miners Association annual conference, per the Alaska Dispatch News.
November 6, 2014 – The British Columbia minister of energy and mines is in Alaska to discuss the Mount Polley tailings dam mine disaster and attempt to address concerns that Alaska has over Transboundary mining impacts, per the Alaska Dispatch News.
November 5, 2014 – The Hill reports on the success of Ballot Measure 4 in Alaska which will now require that the state legislature approve any large mining project in the Bristol Bay watershed. The measure passed with 65% of the vote. Think Progress and the Alaska Dispatch News also covered the result.
November 2, 2014 – The Juneau Empire editorialized in favor of the passage of Ballot Measure 4 (reversing a stance printed a few days earlier), which would add another layer of required approvals for any large mining project (such as Pebble Mine) in the Bristol Bay watershed.
November 1, 2014 – The Associated Press covers the coming vote in Alaska on Ballot Measure 4 which would require approval from the state legislature before a large mining project (like Pebble) were allowed in the Bristol Bay watershed.
November 1, 2014 – The Peninsula Clarion editorialized in favor of Ballot Measure 4 to add more protections for watersheds in the Bristol Bay region from proposed large mining projects.
October 31, 2014 – The Pebble Limited Partnership has filed its third lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, seeking to stop the EPA from its work to protect Bristol Bay, according to the Alaska Dispatch News.
October 30, 2014 – Alaska Public News reports on a study that indicates that logging of second-growth timber in the Tongass National Forest could begin immediately and be fully operational in roughly 5 years – much sooner than the timeframe being pursued by the U.S. Forest Service.
October 26, 2014 – North of 60 Mining News has a story about the Pebble Limited Partnership’s legal tactics against the EPA, seeking to halt the agency’s work that could see Bristol Bay protected from mining of the Pebble deposit under the Clean Water Act.
October 23, 2014 – The Alaska Journal of Commerce reports on the efforts of federal agencies and the public at large to weigh in on fishery studies related to the proposed Susitna Dam hydroelectric project.
October 22, 2014 – The Trout Unlimited blog reports on the emerging campaign to protect the Susitna River's salmon from a monstrous proposed hydroelectric dam project.
October 21, 2014 – The Trout Unlimited blog discusses the need to put salmon first in Southeast Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, and the threat to Southeast's salmon runs from mines on the Canadian side of the British Columbia border.
October 17, 2014 – Al Jazeera America covers the proposed Pebble Mine and how it relates to the coming November elections in Alaska.
October 17, 2014 – An Alaska state representative takes issue with positions by Governor Sean Parnell and U.S. Senate candidate Dan Sullivan related to risks to fisheries from development projects like the proposed Pebble and Chuitna mines, in this Bristol Bay Times opinion editorial.
October 16, 2014 – Not as well-known as the proposed Pebble Mine, the very large proposed Donlin Gold mine in western Alaska was the subject of a hearing in Anchorage that covered potential impacts to moose hunting and the historic Iditarod Trail among other things, according to the Alaska Dispatch News.
October 15, 2014 – America’s Salmon Forest did a three-part series on the growth industries of maritime, seafood, and tourism should drive decisions on management of the Tongass National Forest instead of the timber industry that once reigned over the region’s economy.
October 14, 2014 – Legal Newsline has an in-depth look at a lawsuit by the Pebble Limited Partnership accusing the EPA of colluding with opponents of the proposed Pebble Mine.
October 9, 2014 – The Alaska Dispatch News tells of the State of Alaska’s “angry” defense of criticism from the National Marine Fisheries Service over what NMFS characterized as “flawed” science in studies of fishery impacts from the proposed Susitna Dam hydroelectric project.
October 9, 2014 – The Alaska Journal of Commerce reports on legal strategies being pursued in two lawsuits by the proponents of the Pebble Mine against the U.S. EPA.
October 9, 2014 – Fisheries issues, including the proposed Pebble Mine, were front and center as U.S. Senate and House candidates held a debate in Kodiak, per the Alaska Journal of Commerce.
October 8, 2014 – The Conservationist blog on Field & Stream discusses Senator David Vitter’s (R-LA) attack on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency despite all the good things that the agency is trying to do that would benefit anglers and hunters, including placing restrictions on the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
October 6, 2014 – The Autumn 2014 issue of Fly Rod & Reel magazine includes a conservation feature by Ted Williams on the controversy over transboundary mines on the British Columbia side of the Southeast Alaska border.
October 3, 2014 – The Switchboard blog has some fun with numbers and the proposed Pebble Mine.
October 1, 2014 – A former U.S. Senator who chaired hearings on the Tongass National Forest during his tenure wrote an opinion editorial in The Hill to commemorate the 107th birthday of the Tongass and call for a rapid transition from old-growth to second-growth logging in America’s largest national forest.
October 2, 2014 – The controversial Big Thorne timber sale on Prince of Wales Island in the Tongass National Forest was awarded by the US Forest Service to Viking Lumber, according to SitNews.
October 1, 2014 – A mining consultant writes an opinion editorial about the dim future he sees for the proposed Pebble Mine in the Alaska Dispatch News.
October 1, 2014 – The Alaska Dispatch News reports on the U.S. Senate race debate that focused on Alaska fishery issues in Kodiak yesterday.
September 30, 2014 – A new proposal for a 370-foot tall hydropower dam on the Talkeetna River was covered in the Alaska Dispatch News and drew a response from the Susitna River Coalition.
September 30, 2014 – The National Marine Fisheries Service has raised concerns about the accuracy of some studies being conducted for the massive proposed Susitna Dam according to the Associated Press.
September 30, 2014 – The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports on how the British Columbia government has been slow to respond to the Mount Polley mining disaster and how that could impact southeast Alaskan fisheries due to many large mines being proposed for the Transboundary region.
September 30, 2014 – SitNews and the Alaska Dispatch News report on the dismissal of a lawsuit in U.S. District Court by the Pebble Limited Partnership (and supported by the State of Alaska) that sought to stop EPA’s work to potentially use the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay. KTVA television also provided coverage.
September 30, 2014 – The Alaska Dispatch News reports on the differences between Alaska’s candidates for the U.S. Senate regarding their positions on fishery issues.
September 28, 2014 – The Juneau Empire editorialized on the need to promote and pursue a sustainable timber industry in the Tongass National Forest instead of continuing to target the remaining old-growth areas.
September 25, 2014 – The Alaska Dispatch News covers the two lawsuits against the EPA by the Pebble Limited Partnership - one alleging EPA is overstepping its authority by utilizing the Clean Water Act before Pebble has applied for permits, and the other alleging collusion between EPA and opponents of the mine project.
September 24, 2014 – SitNews reports that the different groups in the Pebble Mine campaign are saying that over 625,000 Americans stood up for Bristol Bay during the recently concluded EPA public comment period.
September 24, 2014 – U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-LA) wrote an opinion editorial in The Hill about how he perceives the EPA is using the Clean Water Act to stifle business and personal property rights. Pebble Mine is used as an example.
September 23, 2014 – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) has written to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy asking that the Clean Water Act be used to protect Bristol Bay, per the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
September 23, 2014 – Mining Weekly reports that EPA will be reviewing hundreds of thousands of public comments on the plan to restrict disposal of mining waste from the Pebble deposit in Bristol Bay. There are a number of quotes from Northern Dynasty Minerals, the sole entity remaining in the Pebble project at this time.
September 22, 2014 – The official comment period on EPA’s Clean Water Act section 404c Proposed Determination ended last Friday, and the results are starting to come in. See a press releases from Trout Unlimited that highlights the tremendous number of Alaskans that participated in the comment period.
September 22, 2014 – Alaska Native News reports that the United Tribes of Bristol Bay figures show over 1,500 written comments came from Bristol Bay to the EPA asking for the Clean Water Act to be used in protecting the fishery.
September 22, 2014 – KDLG radio reports on the close of the EPA comment period, including the incredible amount of support coming from Alaskans for EPA action to protect Bristol Bay.
September 20, 2014 – A Bristol Bay native who’s now a professional and Olympic snowboarder is featured in Newsweek magazine where she speaks about the proposed Pebble Mine and the need to protect the fishery.
September 19, 2014 – Two renowned fisheries scientists co-wrote an opinion editorial in Crosscut.com about the need to protect Bristol Bay’s fisheries in the wake of the recent mining disaster at Mount Polley in British Columbia.
September 19, 2014 – The executive director of Nunamta Aulukestai (Caretakers of Our Land), an association of Bristol Bay native village corporations and tribes, called for EPA to protect Bristol Bay in this opinion editorial from the Bristol Bay Times.
September 18, 2014 – The Alaska Journal of Commerce reports on the status of the Pebble Limited Partnership’s lawsuits against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
September 8, 2014 – SitNews reports that the 2014 Bristol Bay commercial salmon season was the second most valuable ever, at a preliminary value of $197 million. Sockeye salmon harvest was 28.8 million fish, 61% higher than forecast.
September 3, 2014 – The Vancouver Sun reports that the tailings spill at British Columbia’s Mount Polley mine is 70% larger than initially estimated/reported.
September 2, 2014 – While the Mount Polley mine tailings dam failure seemed to get all of the attention, there was also a major spill at a copper mine in northern Mexico in August. TelesurTV covers what is being called Mexico’s worst industrial mine spill.
August 31, 2014 – Columnist Shannyn Moore wrote a great piece in the Alaska Dispatch News titled Mine waste storage and salmon runs, what could go wrong?
August 28, 2014 – An author who also has fished commercially in Bristol Bay wrote a column for the Huffington Post on the need for EPA to protect Bristol Bay, especially in the wake of the recent tailings dam failure disaster at the Mt. Polley mine in British Columbia.
August 27, 2014 – SAA Director Scott Hed was interviewed by Tom Rosenbauer on the Orvis Fly Fishing Podcast (starts just past 24:00 mark) about the latest news with the Bristol Bay campaign.
August 20, 2014 – The President/CEO of the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corp. wrote an opinion editorial praising the EPA for its engagement in the debate over the proposed Pebble Mine in the Alaska Dispatch News.
August 20, 2014 – The Alaska program of Trout Unlimited issued a press release summarizing the overwhelming testimony in favor of EPA action to protect Bristol Bay that was given at last week’s public hearings in Anchorage and several Bristol Bay villages.
August 19, 2014 – A chef / restaurant owner from Talkeetna who once worked for President George H.W. Bush wrote an opinion editorial in the Mat-Su Frontiersman about the risks from the proposed Susitna Dam (which would come with a $5.2 billion price tag).
August 18, 2014 – KDLG radio recaps the strong participation by Alaska Natives at the recent EPA hearing in Dillingham over use of the Clean Water Act to potentially protect Bristol Bay.
August 18, 2014 – The Huffington Post provided additional coverage of last week’s public hearing in Dillingham over EPA’s action using the Clean Water Act to potentially protect Bristol Bay from impacts of the proposed Pebble Mine.
August 18, 2014 – This year’s Bristol Bay River Academy, where young residents of the Bristol Bay region learn skills to enter the sport fish guiding industry, is featured in Angling Trade.
August 15, 2014 – The Executive Director for the United Tribes of Bristol Bay wrote an opinion editorial in the Bristol Bay Times thanking the EPA for their actions that could protect Bristol Bay.
August 15, 2014 – The Bristol Bay Times editorialized on the lessons that Alaskans should take from the recent Mount Polley mine tailings dam failure in British Columbia.
August 15, 2014 – KDLG radio and TKVA television have coverage of this week’s EPA hearing in Dillingham to discuss EPA’s actions under the Clean Water Act to restrict mining of the Pebble deposit in Bristol Bay.
August 15, 2014 – The proposed Pebble Mine campaign is covered by Salon.com with special emphasis on how lifelong conservative Alaskans have embraced the EPA becoming involved in the controversy.
August 14, 2014 – U.S. News & World Report discusses the contradictions between Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) calling for increased federal oversight of Canadian mines in the wake of the Mt. Polley disaster last week and her desire to keep the U.S. EPA from using the Clean Water Act to protect Alaska’s famed and valuable Bristol Bay fishery.
August 14, 2014 – A Democrat candidate for Alaska's governor wrote an opinion editorial in the Juneau Empire taking the current state administration to task for siding with mining interests over Alaska’s citizens and fishery resources, as well as the governor’s silence in the wake of last week’s Mt. Polley mining disaster in British Columbia which ought to be considered in discussions of mining plans in Alaska.
August 13, 2014 – The Alaska Journal of Commerce covers this week’s EPA public hearing in Anchorage to discuss the agency’s recent action under the Clean Water Act that issued proposed restrictions on mining of the Pebble deposit in Bristol Bay. KTOO radio also provided coverage.
August 12, 2014 – The Executive Director of the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council had an opinion editorial in the Juneau Empire discussing how a true transition in management of the Tongass National Forest would result in more local jobs per log cut, and not just simply increasing the number of trees cut.
August 12, 2014 – The Juneau Empire editorial board wrote that last week’s disaster at the Mt. Polley mine in British Columbia is a “thunderous warning” of the potential impacts from mines proposed along the British Columbia border with southeast Alaska.
August 12, 2014 – The Alaska Dispatch News reports on today’s EPA public hearing in Anchorage regarding the Clean Water Act Section 404c proposed determination that would place restrictions on impacts to waters from development of the Pebble deposit in the Bristol Bay region. Testimony given at the hearing was estimated at 2-to-1 in favor of EPA (and against Pebble).
August 12, 2014 – The three pillars of the campaign to protect Bristol Bay – Alaska Natives, commercial fishing, and sport fishing – all issued statements in support of EPA’s efforts to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine. Read the press release from these user groups issued after today’s EPA hearings in Anchorage.
August 12, 2014 – All three candidates for the Republican nomination for Alaska’s U.S. Senate seat up for election in November blasted the EPA for getting involved in the Bristol Bay / Pebble Mine debate, per Alaska Fish Radio.
August 11, 2014 – U.S. Senators are speaking up about the risks of mining to salmon habitat in Alaska, after last week’s massive failure of a tailings dam at the Mt. Polley mine in British Columbia, per the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
August 10, 2014 – The second installment on the Trout Unlimited blog about the Mt. Polley mine disaster in British Columbia and how it relates to proposed mines in western B.C. that could impact salmon watersheds that flow into southeast Alaska.
August 8, 2014 – The Trout Unlimited blog is featuring a few responses to the Mt. Polley mine disaster in British Columbia. This one discusses the connection between Mt. Polley and the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
August 8, 2014 – KTUU television provides details on next week’s EPA hearings over the proposed restrictions on mining the Pebble deposit in Bristol Bay. Hearings will be held in Anchorage and several Bristol Bay villages.
August 8, 2014 – A reporter from Steamboat (CO) Today attended the recent Salmonstock music festival on the Kenai Peninsula and compared it to events back home.
August 7, 2014 – Another opinion editorial from the CEO of the Pebble Limited Partnership bashing the EPA over actions that could protect Bristol Bay appeared in the Charleston (WV) Daily Mail.
August 6, 2014 – The owner of a rafting company wrote an opinion editorial in the Alaska Dispatch News about the impacts his business would suffer from the massive proposed Susitna Dam. It was followed up by a letter to the editor from a retired resource manager from the Alaska Dept. of Natural Resources who says that the state should stop wasting money by funding studies for “ludicrous megaprojects” like the Susitna Dam.
August 6, 2014 – Alaska Dispatch News reports that “some” Alaska fishermen object to Governor Sean Parnell’s hiring of a former Pebble Limited Partnership spokesperson to serve as his fisheries advisor. Incredibly, “some” Alaska fishermen think it’s OK.

August 6, 2014 / SPECIAL COVERAGE – Massive Tailings Dam Failure at Mt. Polley mine in British Columbia. Located in headwaters of Fraser River system, there are connections to and implications for the debate over the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay. For the record, the proposed Pebble Mine would be much, much larger than the Mt. Polley mine.

In 2010, the Pebble Limited Partnership actually used the Mt. Polley mine and the Fraser River as an example of how mining and fisheries can co-exist. Check out two new video clips that have been created to call attention to this in the wake of the Mt. Polley disaster: Preview of Pebble Mine in Mt. Polley Disaster and Mining and Fisheries "Coexist" on Fraser River.
Mining Weekly provides detailed coverage including discussion of how this may impact the proposed Pebble Mine.
KBRD radio in Ketchikan wonders if the disaster could impact southeast Alaska fisheries.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer refers to the incident as “British Columbia’s Exxon Valdez.”
The Cordova Times discusses how this disaster plays into the debate over the proposed Pebble Mine.
Earth Island Journal has coverage that includes a 36-minute video of the disaster.
KTOO public media in Juneau wonders if the disaster is a warning for Alaska.
Native American Times discusses the concern over Fraser River sockeye salmon after the disaster.
The outdoor columnist for the Spokane (WA) Spokesman-Review says the BC disaster will reinforce opposition to the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.

August 5, 2014 – Energy & Environment News has an interesting profile of Dennis McLerran, U.S. EPA Region 10 Administrator, who will be officially responsible for deciding whether or not EPA advances the Clean Water Act Section 404c process in Bristol Bay.
August 5, 2014 – Alaska Native groups are critical of Senator Lisa Murkowski’s (R-AK) opposition to EPA involvement to protect Bristol Bay in a new ad running this week, per The Hill.
August 2, 2014 – The CEO of the Pebble Limited Partnership had an opinion editorial published in the Casper (WY) Star Tribune that attempts to discredit the EPA for its work that could protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine.
July 31, 2014 – The water issues news website Circle of Blue investigates past uses by EPA of Section 404c of the Clean Water Act, finding that use of Section 404c in Bristol Bay is justified. This is a great primer on this rarely-used part of the Clean Water Act.
July 31, 2014 – Dallas Safari Club posted a short report on a trip organized by SAA to Bristol Bay to learn more about the proposed Pebble Mine.
July 30, 2014 – Mining.com reports that the controversial proposed KSM gold & copper mine in British Columbia may face hurdles due to the potential impacts on salmon resources in rivers that flow from B.C. into southeast Alaska.
July 30, 2014 – The Olympian praises Washington state’s federal elected officials who support the EPA’s efforts to protect Bristol Bay (and the Washington jobs the fishery supports) under the Clean Water Act.
July 27, 2014 – The Alaska Dispatch News reports on how life in the villages of Iliamna and Newhalen has changed since the major investors in the proposed Pebble Mine have withdrawn from the project.
July 26, 2014 – A pro-development Pebble advocate wrote about “EPA overreach,” etc. in an opinion piece in the Alaska Dispatch News.
July 26, 2014 – No this is not an April Fool’s Day joke. Alaska Governor Sean Parnell has nominated a former Pebble Limited Partnership public affairs specialist (with no fisheries expertise) as his fisheries advisor. Read the Alaska Dispatch News for this hard-to-believe development.
July 24, 2014 – A legendary billionaire mining financier says that the proposed “Pebble Mine will not be built,” according to a speech given at a natural resources symposium in Vancouver, per Mining.com.
July 21, 2014 – Former Alaska state Senate president and Republican National Committee chairman for Alaska, Rick Halford, wrote an opinion editorial in the DC-focused publication The Hill praising the EPA for its efforts in Bristol Bay.

July 18, 2014 – BREAKING NEWS COVERAGE: EPA Moves Ahead with Clean Water Act to Protect Bristol Bay

The Alaska Dispatch News has very comprehensive coverage of reaction from all sides of the debate in Alaska on today's EPA action.
Northern Dynasty Minerals issued a press release in response to today’s action by the EPA which laid out restrictions on mining proposals at the Pebble prospect in Bristol Bay.
Members of Congress issued statements in response to today’s EPA action that could protect Bristol Bay under the Clean Water Act
- Senator Mark Begich (AK) – Favorable
- Senator Maria Cantwell (WA) – Favorable
- Senator Patty Murray (WA) – Favorable
- Rep. Derek Kilmer (WA) – Favorable
- Rep. Rick Larsen (WA) and Rep. Suzan DelBene (WA) - Favorable
- Senator Lisa Murkowski (AK) – Critical/Unfavorable
- Rep. Don Young (AK) – Critical/Unfavorable
Members of the diverse coalition working to protect Bristol Bay issued statements thanking the EPA for today’s action
A notable radio broadcaster in Alaska wrote an opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News, thanking EPA for stepping in to protect Bristol Bay when Alaska’s state government has shown no interest in doing so.
The Los Angeles Times covered today’s big news about EPA’s proposed determination under the Clean Water Act 404c process.
The hunting and angling community commends the Environmental Protection Agency for its proposed determination to protect Bristol Bay using Section 404c of the Clean Water Act.
The Alaska Dispatch News reports that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposes strict limits on Pebble Mine to protect salmon.
Washington Post's political blog details the EPA's issuance of a proposal under the Clean Water Act limiting mining activity in Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed, striking a major blow to a project that would rank as one of the world's largest open-pit mines.
The news broke while SAA Director Scott Hed was at the ICAST/IFTD fishing tackle industry trade shows. Scott was interviewed briefly by Angling Trade magazine – click to read their take on the development and see a short video interview.

July 17, 2014 – McClatchy Newspapers covered yesterday’s vote in a U.S. House committee that is seeking to restrict EPA’s authority to use the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay. The proponents of the Pebble Mine project’s actions are classified as “desperate.”
July 15, 2014 – A 25-year employee (now retired) of the Alaska Dept. of Natural Resources wrote an opinion editorial in the Fairbanks News-Miner about the risks of the proposed Susitna Dam (which would be taller than the Hoover Dam).
July 15, 2014 – More criticism of efforts in the U.S. House of Representatives to restrict EPA’s ability to use the Clean Water Act and potentially protect Bristol Bay. This press release was issued by the United Tribes of Bristol Bay.
July 15, 2014 – The controversial proposed Pebble Mine project is the subject of a feature story with two videos on Al Jazeera America’s program America Tonight.
July 15, 2014 – Sporting groups, led by SAA, issued a press release regarding today’s U.S. House committee hearing seeking to remove EPA’s authority under the Clean Water Act to potentially protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine.
July 14, 2014 – Former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbit wrote an opinion editorial in the Seattle Times about the desperate measures that the proponents of the Pebble Mine project are resorting to in hopes of saving the controversial project.
July 14, 2014 – Trout Unlimited’s Alaska program issued a press release critical of Congress for ongoing legislative attacks on the EPA’s work that could protect Bristol Bay under the Clean Water Act.
July 10, 2014 – This week’s edition of the Revolution with Jim and Trav outdoor radio show on the Outdoor Channel features all-Alaska content. Bear hunting, sheep hunting, caribou and moose hunting, and all sorts of fishing.
July 10, 2014 – SAA director Scott Hed and Bristol Bay guide Kate Taylor co-wrote a blog post about the state of affairs in Bristol Bay for the Fishpond blog.
July 8, 2014 – High Country News reports on the Pebble Limited Partnership’s lawsuit against the EPA, with the State of Alaska joining Pebble’s side and the United Tribes of Bristol Bay joining with EPA.
July 6, 2014 – An outdoor television personality whose family has been fishing in South Louisiana for 275 years wrote an opinion editorial in the New Orleans Advocate about the need to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine. Recently, Senator David Vitter (R-LA) sponsored the Regulatory Fairness Act, which would strip EPA of the ability to use the Clean Water Act to place common-sense restrictions on mining operations in Bristol Bay.
July 2, 2014 – The United Tribes of Bristol Bay have intervened in the lawsuit against the EPA filed by the Pebble Limited Partnership, per this press release. This development was also covered in The Hill.
July 2, 2014 – BJ's Wholesale Club, with 202 locations in 15 eastern states, becomes the nation’s first independent wholesale club to sign No Dirty Gold campaign’s Golden Rules, and pledges support for protection of the Bristol Bay watershed.
July 1, 2014 – The Trout Unlimited blog discusses a letter sent from notable scientists to President Obama about the need to protect the remaining stands of old growth in our nation’s national forests. The post focuses on the Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska as a prime example.
July 1, 2014 – The Associated Press is reporting that the Pebble Limited Partnership (PLP) and the Alaska Peninsula Corporation have filed a motion in federal court to halt EPA’s work in Bristol Bay until the lawsuit filed by PLP against the EPA is resolved.
June 26, 2014 – The Bristol Bay River Academy is featured in the current edition of the Bristol Bay Times as it readies for another year of teaching sport fishing guide skills to youth in the region.
June 26, 2014 – The president of the United Tribes of Bristol Bay wrote an opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News stating that residents of the region remain firmly opposed to the proposed Pebble Mine, and laid out how the developer and the State of Alaska are working against the interests of Bristol Bay.
June 23, 2014 – Alaska Public Media reports that the AK Supreme Court has ruled that the Bristol Bay Forever citizens ballot initiative will remain on the November ballot. If passed, mining in the Bristol Bay region would need to be approved by the Alaska state legislature in addition to receiving necessary permits.
June 20, 2014 – The Bristol Bay Times reports on the status of a lawsuit in the AK Supreme Court over the Bristol Bay Forever ballot initiative, as well as recent Congressional activity related to EPA’s work in Bristol Bay.
June 19, 2014 – KDLG radio has a pre-season story about the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association’s efforts to update its membership on the status of the Bristol Bay campaign to stop the proposed Pebble Mine.
June 17, 2014 – The Alaska Community Foundation also sold its shares of Northern Dynasty Minerals that it had received as a gift from Rio Tinto, per the Alaska Dispatch.
June 16, 2014 – The Bristol Bay Native Corporation Education Foundation sold its shares of Northern Dynasty Minerals that it had received as a gift from Rio Tinto (when Rio divested from the proposed Pebble Mine project recently), and received roughly $6.5 million to fund its educational and cultural heritage mission, per KTUU and the Associated Press.
June 13, 2014 – Recently introduced legislation in the U.S. Congress (the “Regulatory Certainty Act of 2014”) is drawing criticism from commercial, sport, and subsistence fishermen due to its impact on EPA’s ability to use the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine, per the Cordova Times.
June 12, 2014 – A new poll released by Bristol Bay United shows 62% of Alaskans oppose the proposed Pebble Mine project. The same poll showed 67% of respondents favored development of oil resources in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, showing how Alaskans view Bristol Bay differently than any other big resource development project in the state.
June 12, 2014 – As promised last week, Congressman Bob Gibbs (R-OH) introduced the House version of the Regulatory Certainty Act of 2014 which would have a harmful impact on EPA”s ability to use the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay.
June 11, 2014 – Alaska Public Media reports that the Alaska Supreme Court recently heard arguments over a citizens ballot initiative that is slated to be on the November 2014 ballot and would place further obstacles in the path of the proposed Pebble Mine.
June 9, 2014 – A former EPA official who worked in Alaska is the subject of interest to a House Oversight committee, per the Washington Times over the controversial proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
June 8, 2014 – The State of Alaska has joined the Pebble Limited Partnership in its lawsuit against the EPA over the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, per the Alaska Dispatch.
June 6, 2014 – The Bristol Bay Times reports on the town meeting attended by several hundred people in Dillingham last week where displeasure was voiced to Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) over her sponsorship of S.B. 2156, the Regulatory Fairness Act, which would weaken EPA’s ability to use the Clean Water Act in protecting Bristol Bay.
June 6, 2014 – In a sign that Northern Dynasty Minerals is not ready to give up its quest to develop a massive mine in the Bristol Bay region, NDM recently acquired 199 additional state mining claims from the struggling mining exploration company Liberty Star, per the Bristol Bay Times.
June 5, 2014 – The Moldy Chum fishing blog features the 2014 edition of Strip'n Flywear's No Pebble Mine sockeye salmon t-shirt. Sales benefit the Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska!
June 5, 2014 – Congressmen Bob Gibbs (R-OH) and Nick Rahall (D-WV) will soon be introducing a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives to mirror the Senate’s “Regulatory Certainty Act” which would restrict EPA’s authority to use the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine, per wn.com and The Hill.
May 30, 2014 – Senator Murkowski received a lot of in-person feedback at a number of meetings she held while visiting Bristol Bay during the week of May 26. Hear a recap of a meeting held in Dillingham on KDLG radio's Bristol Bay Fishing Report (at 7:45 mark) that was attended by over 200 people.
May 30, 2014 – The Bristol Bay sockeye salmon forecast from the AK Department of Fish and Game is covered in the Bristol Bay Times, broken down by district.
May 30, 2014 – The State of Alaska has joined the Pebble Limited Partnership in its lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, seeking to stop EPA’s work that could protect Bristol Bay per the Anchorage Daily News.
May 27, 2014 – The U.S. Forest Service has named a 15-person advisory panel to review plans to transition the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska toward a young- or second-growth management model. Read the story from KTOO.
May 22, 2014 – With its back seemingly against the wall, the Pebble Limited Partnership today sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency seeking to halt the agency’s work that could prevent the proposed Pebble Mine under Section 404c of the Clean Water Act. Coverage of story also in the Anchorage Daily News.
May 22, 2014 – Response to the lawsuit filed by the Pebble Limited Partnership against the EPA was swift and critical from: Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association, Trout Unlimited Alaska, and United Tribes of Bristol Bay.
May 22, 2014 – An Alaska mining consultant who worked for Cominco (the company that owned the Pebble prospect before Northern Dynasty Minerals) wrote an opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News saying that the Pebble project has run its course and Northern Dynasty should “call it a day” and give up.
May 21, 2014 – The Wall Street Journal recently wrote about the EPA being too aggressive in its work to potentially protect the Bristol Bay region from the proposed Pebble Mine, and that drew a pair of letters to the editor taking the paper to task on that position.
May 9, 2014 – SAA Director Scott Hed wrote a blog post for Trout Unlimited about the custom No Pebble Mine gear being produced by fly industry brand Vedavoo.
May 7, 2014 – The Kenai Peninsula Clarion reports that a group of nearly 20 Bristol Bay fishing lodge operators has sent a letter and run a full-page ad in the Anchorage Daily News criticizing Senator Lisa Murkowski’s (R-AK) support of the Regulatory Fairness Act (SB 2156) which would hamper EPA’s ability to use the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay.
May 7, 2014 – A longtime Alaska commercial fisherman wrote an opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News critical of Senator Lisa Murkowski’s (R-AK) decision take on the EPA’s ability to protect Bristol Bay through use of the Clean Water Act.
May 5, 2014 – Bloomberg reports that EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy stated at a weekend event that she doubts that the proposed Pebble Mine could be built without jeopardizing Bristol Bay’s fishery.
May 5, 2014 – Custom fly fishing accessory maker Vedavoo discusses why the company is engaged in the battle to protect Bristol Bay, and they’re rolling out a set of special No Pebble Mine gear.
May 2, 2014 – The new CEO of the Pebble Limited Partnership is interviewed by KDLG radio.
May 1, 2014 – An SAA-organized trip to Southeast Alaska’s Tongass National Forest was featured in the online adventure travel journal Peachin & Peachin.
April 30, 2014 – The Pebble Limited Partnership today has responded to EPA’s concerns expressed over the potential impacts from the proposed Pebble Mine on Bristol Bay’s clean water and salmon fishery. The Hill covers what PLP categorizes as a power grab by the EPA.
April 30, 2014 – Response to Pebble Limited Partership’s attack on the EPA’s work to protect Bristol Bay came from many sources today. Trout Unlimited Alaska called it “predictable” and “desperate.” United Tribes of Bristol Bay said the response “does nothing to ease our concerns.” The Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association says EPA action is needed to protect fishing jobs.
April 30, 2014 – The Hill reports on how fishery interest groups are standing behind the EPA’s actions to evaluate the potential effects of the proposed Pebble Mine on Bristol Bay’s fishery, in response to the Pebble Limited Partnership’s attack on EPA.
April 30, 2014 – The Pebble Limited Partnership has officially responded to the U.S. EPA’s request for information on how the proposed Pebble Mine will not cause significant adverse impacts to the habitats, waters, and fisheries of the Nushagak and Kvichak watersheds in Bristol Bay. Read PLP’s press release, which bashed EPA pretty heavily, here.
April 28, 2014 – A lifelong Bristol Bay resident and commercial fisherman wrote an opinion editorial in the Alaska Dispatch about all the ways that the State of Alaska has attempted to weaken protections for fish habitat and ease the way for mining development to occur.
April 27, 2014 – Mining News reports that talk of the proposed Pebble Mine and EPA’s potential to block the project dominated discussions at the recent Arctic International Mining Symposium in Fairbanks.
April 24, 2014 – U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) wrote an opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News attempting to explain her sponsorship of the Regulatory Fairness Act, which would remove EPA’s ability to complete its work to protect Bristol Bay.
April 23, 2014 – A former AK Dept. of Fish & Game biologist is writing a 2-part story about how the ADF&G and Dept. of Natural Resources are being politically driven to weaken protections on Alaska's state wildlife refuges, sanctuaries, critical habitat areas. Read part 1 and part 2 in the Alaska Dispatch.
April 22, 2014 – SAA Director Scott Hed was interviewed on April 22 with a Bristol Bay update on The Open Fly podcast.
April 22, 2014 – A Bristol Bay native leader calls on Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) to stand up for Bristol Bay and not try to restrict EPA’s work to protect the region and its fishery, in this Anchorage Daily News opinion editorial.
April 18, 2014 – KDLG radio reports on the SAA-organized letter from 14 national sport fishing and hunting organizations in response to the Regulatory Fairness Act, which would restrict EPA’s ability to use the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay.
April 18, 2014 – KTUU television has another story about the recently introduced Regulatory Fairness Act, and its effect on EPA’s work in Bristol Bay.
April 15, 2014 – The Huffington Post reports on the Senate’s recently introduced “Regulatory Fairness Act” which would restrict EPA’s ability to protect Bristol Bay under the Clean Water Act.
April 11, 2014 – The new CEO of the Pebble Limited Partnership told a mining industry gathering that the proposed Pebble Mine is still moving forward, despite a string of recent setbacks according to the Fairbanks News-Miner.
April 10, 2014 – Another response to Senator Murkowski (R-AK) co-sponsoring a bill that would restrict EPA’s ability to protect Bristol Bay under the Clean Water Act, from National Fisherman.
April 9, 2014 – A longtime Alaska fisheries expert writes that Alaska can no longer honestly claim to have some of the most rigorous environmental standards in the world, per this opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News.
April 9, 2014 – The Cordova Times reports on a bill introduced in the U. S. Senate that would restrict EPA’s ability to complete its review of the proposed Pebble Mine project under Section 404c of the Clean Water Act. Trout Unlimited's Alaska program issued a response to the legislation, and the fact it has been sponsored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
April 9, 2014 – AK Public Radio and KDLG radio report on the response from commercial fishing and Bristol Bay native group interests to Senator Murkowski’s (R-AK) sponsorship of the “Regulatory Fairness Act” which would strip EPA of the agency’s Clean Water Act authority being used to potentially protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine.
April 7, 2014 – The CEO of Rio Tinto wrote an opinion editorial in the Alaska Dispatch about the company’s decision to divest its holdings in the proposed Pebble Mine project by donating its shares of Northern Dynasty Minerals to two Alaska-based charitable foundations.
April 7, 2014 – The Washington Post describes today’s news that Rio Tinto will be divesting of its stake in Northern Dynasty Minerals and the proposed Pebble Mine as "another blow" to the controversial project.
April 7, 2014 – The final large mining company with an interest in the proposed Pebble Mine, Rio Tinto, has decided to divest its 19% share in Northern Dynasty Minerals and donate those shares to two Alaska-based charitable foundations. The Alaska Dispatch also provided coverage.
April 4, 2014 – The April issue of Alaska Coast magazine features an update on the fight for Bristol Bay and reports that the proposed Pebble Mine is still a threat despite recent EPA action under the Clean Water Act.
April 3, 2014 – In the Alaska state legislature, House Bill 77, the big pro-development permitting and water rights measure proposed by Gov. Sean Parnell, is dead for the current legislative session, per the Anchorage Daily News.
April 3, 2014 – The Juneau Empire reports on the concern from Southeast Alaska fisherman over the proposed KSM mine just over the border in British Columbia. Even Alaska’s Congressional delegation is weighing in on water quality concerns on the trans-boundary rivers that could be impacted.
March 31, 2014 – The American Fisheries Society sent a letter to the U.S. EPA in appreciation and support for the agency’s recently completed Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.

Petroleum News

March 26, 2014 – Senator David Vitter (R-LA) and Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) have introduced a bill that would restrict EPA's authority under Section 404c of the Clean Water Act, which would have detrimental implications for EPA’s work to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine.
March 26, 2014 – In response to the introduction of a bill that would restrict EPA’s authority to use the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine, Alaska Native, sportfishing, and commercial fishing leaders chastised the Senators from Louisiana and West Virginia who are behind the bill, per Bristol Bay United.
March 24, 2014 – A blogger at the investment site Seeking Alpha wonders if Northern Dynasty Minerals may be a “lost cause” given the events of the past six months (major investment partners withdrawing from project, EPA initiating the Clean Water Act).
March 20, 2014 – An Alaska Superior Court Judge ruled in favor of the State of Alaska and the Pebble Limited Partnership in a decision to invalidate a 2011 citizens' initiative that would have limited large mine permitting in the Lake and Peninsula Borough per the Alaska Dispatch.
March 17, 2014 – The EPA has extended the time for the Pebble Limited Partnership and the State of Alaska to respond to the Clean Water Act 404c initiation, per the Anchorage Daily News and KTUU television.
March 14, 2014 – The Atlantic gives a good synopsis of the debate over the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, saying it could be the “next Keystone XL.
March 14, 2014 – Members of Congress are attacking the EPA over the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment and the decision by the agency to invoke Section 404c of the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay, per the Washington Examiner.
March 13, 2014 – The Olympian (Olympia, WA) editorializes on the need for EPA to protect the Bristol Bay fishery.
March 13, 2014 – Is the State of Alaska actively assisting Northern Dynasty Minerals in seeking a new partner for the proposed Pebble Mine? This press release from the Alaska House Democratic Caucus seems to indicate yes.
March 7, 2014 – Former Alaska governor Tony Knowles wrote an opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News arguing that the State of Alaska ought to take on the responsibility and opportunity to protect Bristol Bay forever.
March 7, 2014 – A group of socially-responsible investment firms, let by Trillium Asset Management and Calvert Asset Management released a statement in support of EPA’s recent actions to initiate a process under the Clean Water Act in Bristol Bay.
March 6, 2014 – Leading jeweler Tiffany & Co. ran a full page ad in the Washington Post, Seattle Times, and San Francisco Chronicle praising the EPA for exercising its authority under the Clean Water Act in a way that could lead to the protection of Bristol Bay’s salmon fishery from the proposed Pebble Mine.
March 5, 2014 – Angling International magazine reports on EPA’s recent action to initiate a process under the Clean Water Act that could lead to protections for Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine.
March 4, 2013 – The Seattle Times editorialized on EPA’s recent announcement that the agency is beginning a process under the Clean Water Act that could lead to the protection of Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine.
March 3, 2014 – The Anchorage Daily News editorialized that the EPA made the right decision by invoking the Clean Water Act in a process that could lead to the protection of Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine.
February 28, 2014 – The magazine Environment takes a scholarly look at the campaign to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine, focusing on the unique aspects of the debate as well as the diverse coalition united to protect Bristol Bay.

February 28, 2014 – SPECIAL COVERAGE: EPA Takes Action to Protect Bristol Bay

Outside magazine reports that the EPA is going on the offensive in the effort to protect Bristol Bay.
The Berkley Conservation Institute and the Pure Fishing family of fishing product brands congratulated the EPA for taking steps to begin the process of protecting the Bristol Bay fishery from the proposed Pebble Mine.
KTUU television covers the EPA’s announcement that it is beginning steps to protect the Bristol Bay fishery from the proposed Pebble Mine, including comments from a Bristol Bay fishing lodge owner.
Global news outlet Reuters covered today’s EPA announcement regarding protecting Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine.
After following the issue for several years, National Geographic reports on the action taken by EPA today to protect the Bristol Bay region from the proposed Pebble Mine.
Bloomberg Businessweek provides a look at today’s announcement by EPA about protecting Bristol Bay, from a more mining-friendly point of view.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports on the positive response in Washington state to EPA’s announcement about taking steps to protect the Bristol Bay fishery.
The outdoor columnist for the Denver Post says it’s fair for EPA to ask the developers to prove that the proposed Pebble Mine won’t adversely impact the Bristol Bay fishery.
The New York Times editorialized on EPA’s actions, which could prove to be a “reprieve” for Bristol Bay.
Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it is moving to protect Bristol Bay from the threat of the proposed Pebble Mine. Read EPA’s press release in the link.
The Washington Post first broke the story, before EPA’s official announcement.
USA Today followed with more coverage, including quotes from EPA officials.
Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay and Trout Unlimited issued press releases, praising today’s action by EPA but also noting there is still work to be done.
The news reaches overseas with coverage from the UK’s The Guardian.
The sporting community, including SAA Director Scott Hed, responded to EPA’s action via a press release from the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.
The Anchorage Daily News and the Alaska Dispatch covered today’s news with comments from Alaska’s U.S. Senators as well as members of the coalition fighting to defend Bristol Bay.

February 27, 2014 – A rookie Iditarod dog musher is racing the world’s most famous sled dog competition to raise awareness for the Bristol Bay campaign according to the Peninsula Clarion.
February 27, 2014 – The March 2014 issue of Angling International magazine has Bristol Bay featured on the inside cover and a fantastic 4-page campaign update article including comments from many allies in the fishing industry.
February 26, 2014 – E&E News TV features an interview with an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council on the current state of the Bristol Bay campaign and the proposed Pebble Mine. You can either watch the interview or read the transcript.
February 26, 2014 – The current issue of Sports Afield magazine includes a column by a vice president of the Dallas Safari Club, recounting a trip he took with SAA Director Scott Hed in the summer of 2013 to learn about the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
February 25, 2014 – KDLG radio and Alaska Public Radio Network report on the contingent of diverse Bristol Bay stakeholders who are in Washington, DC this week meeting with the Obama Administration, EPA, and members of Congress to press for action protecting Bristol Bay.
February 24, 2014 – Bristol Bay fishing guides Kate Taylor and Justin Crump wrote a great blog post for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership about how the protection of Bristol Bay affects their livelihoods.
February 24, 2014 – Staying in the Fight is the theme of a blog post co-written by SAA Director Scott Hed for Trout Unlimited about the momentum on the Bristol Bay campaign front, and the need to keep pushing to stop the Pebble Mine.
February 23, 2014 – Earlier this year, mining giant Rio Tinto indicated it was reviewing its holdings of approx. 19% of Northern Dynasty Minerals and the proposed Pebble Mine with the potential to divest from the project. While no further news have come from Rio on this front, a Rio Tinto executive has resigned from Northern Dynasty’s board of directors per KDLG radio.
February 22, 2014 – Two Bristol Bay sportfishing lodge owners wrote an opinion editorial for the Alaska Dispatch discussing the economic value of Bristol Bay’s salmon.
February 21, 2014 – A Bristol Bay Native leader wrote an opinion editorial chastising two members of Alaska’s legislature who seem to care more for foreign mining corporations than they do for Alaska residents in the Anchorage Daily News.
February 21, 2014 – A contingent of Bristol Bay Native residents, commercial fishermen, and sport fishing lodge owners are heading to Washington, DC next week to lobby for protection of Bristol Bay based on the recently released EPA final Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment, according to this story from KDLG radio.
February 20, 2014 – SAA Director Scott Hed was interviewed about the state of the Pebble Mine debate on The Revolution with Jim & Trav, the official radio program of the Outdoor Channel. Look for the interview in the 2/20/14 archived program, it’s roughly halfway through the episode.
February 20, 2014 – Actor and activist Robert Redford had an opinion editorial in USA Today about the risks of the proposed Pebble Mine to Bristol Bay’s fishery, culture, and economy.
February 19, 2014 – Two professors wrote an opinion editorial in the Washington, DC publication The Hill praising the EPA’s watershed assessment and the rigorous science behind it.
February 19, 2014 – Fisheries scientist, Dr. Carol Ann Woody, who has a lot of experience working in Bristol Bay had an opinion editorial published in the Anchorage Daily News outlining the very real threats facing salmon from the proposed Pebble Mine.
February 19, 2014 – U.S. Senator Mark Begich (D-AK) wrote an opinion editorial in the Juneau Empire on his support of mining development in many areas of Alaska as well as why the only mining project he opposes is the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
February 13, 2014 – See a new set of images of Bristol Bay and the proposed site of the Pebble Mine taken by photographer Pat Clayton, who spent the summer of 2013 in the region, on the Orvis conservation news page.
February 11, 2014 – The State of California Controller and the New York City Comptroller sent another letter to Rio Tinto calling on the company to divest from the proposed Pebble Mine project by way of Rio Tinto’s holdings in Northern Dynasty Minerals. This letter was a follow up to an earlier letter they had sent in December 2013, and was prompted by the increased risk to Rio’s investment in the wake of EPA’s final Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
February 10, 2014 – Fisheries scientist Dr. Carol Ann Woody is featured in this podcast from the Society for Freshwater Science discussing the Bristol Bay fishery and the risks from the proposed Pebble Mine.
February 10, 2014 – The chairman and CEO of jewelry industry icon Tiffany & Co. is calling on the jewelry industry to voice their opposition to the proposed Pebble Mine and support EPA action to protect the area in the wake of EPA’s final Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment in JCK magazine.
February 9, 2014 – The president of the Alaska Independent Fishermen’s Marketing Association wrote an opinion editorial in the Juneau Empire outlining the risks from proposed mining beyond the Pebble project in Bristol Bay, and calling for the entire watersheds of the Nushagak and Kvichak Rivers to receive protection by the EPA.
February 7, 2014 – The online news magazine Grist has a short piece about the recently sent letter to EPA from 360 expert scientists, praising the agency’s final Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment and asking the agency to protect Bristol Bay.
February 7, 2014 – Not a news item, but a great reminder of why so many are fighting for Bristol Bay. Read Bristol Bay's Best Rainbow Fisheries by longtime SAA supporter Ken Morrish of Flywater Travel.
February 4, 2014 – 360 nationally-recognized scientists sent a letter to the EPA, commending the agency on their recently completed Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment, and urging the agency to use its authority under the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay.
February 4, 2014 – The letter from 360 scientists asking EPA to protect Bristol Bay has received coverage in the Anchorage Daily News, on KDLG radio, and Fishermen's News Online.
February 3, 2014 – The American Sportfishing Association issued a press release praising both the EPA and Senator Mark Begich (D-AK) for reaching the same conclusion that the sport fishing industry has held for years – that the proposed Pebble Mine represents a massive risk to Bristol Bay’s famed fishery.
February 3, 2014 – The Pebble Limited Partnership has a new CEO – a Washington, DC insider with many political connections – according to KDLG radio. This represents a change in direction for the project, which is facing intense scrutiny after EPA’s final Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment was released.
January 31, 2014 – Actor and activist Robert Redford is featured in a new television ad on MSNBC asking President Obama to stop the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
January 31, 2014 – A past president of the Western Division of the American Fisheries Society wrote an opinion editorial for Live Science that details some of the main findings of EPA’s final Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
January 30, 2014 – A former Bristol Bay commercial fisherman writes of the great decision facing Alaska over the proposed Pebble Mine, and discusses the “democracy of salmon” in this opinion piece from the Alaska Dispatch.
January 30, 2014 – Ten members of the U.S. House of Representatives from the Pacific Northwest sent a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, urging the agency to use its authority to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine.
January 28, 2014 – The Anchorage Daily News reports that one of the Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate seat held by Mark Begich (D-AK) is accusing Senator Begich of “inviting” the EPA to Alaska for the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment, when in fact it was Alaska Native groups that asked EPA to become involved in the issue.
January 27, 2014 – The Alaska political blog The Mudflats reports that presidential historian and author Douglas Brinkley suggests President Obama use his executive powers to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine. There’s also a report and some photos from a recent rally in Anchorage to celebrate recent campaign successes.
January 27, 2014 – Senator Mark Begich (D-AK) addressed an audience in Anchorage this evening about his decision to oppose the proposed Pebble Mine. Coverage on KTUU television and watch the Senator’s six-minute talk here.
January 27, 2014 – Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) feels that the decision over whether or not to allow the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay should be made at the state and not federal level, according to this story on KTUU television.
January 25, 2014 – The EPA’s final Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment is the subject of an article in the High Country News.
January 24, 2014 – Alaska Sporting Journal reports on yesterday’s gathering of fishermen, chefs, and Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) in Seattle, putting pressure on the proposed Pebble Mine.
January 24, 2014 – Heritage Radio Network reports on the string of blows that the proposed Pebble Mine has suffered recently.
January 23, 2014 – The Los Angeles Times reported on Senator Maria Cantwell’s (D-WA) rally in Seattle today, calling on President Obama and the EPA to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine. The rally was also covered by Northwest Public Radio and KIRO television.
January 23, 2014 – A Bristol Bay commercial fisherman wrote an opinion editorial in the Juneau Empire asking the EPA to use the findings of the final Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment to protect Bristol Bay.
January 22, 2014 – KDLG radio reports on the bonfire rally for Bristol Bay held in Dillingham yesterday, where residents even plunged into the icy waters of Bristol Bay to encourage EPA to protect Bristol Bay.
January 22, 2014 – The Anchorage Daily News reports on the increasing pressures facing the proposed Pebble Mine in the wake of several recent developments that place hurdles in the path of the project.
January 22, 2014 – Renowned outdoor writer Bob Marshall wrote about EPA’s final Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment in Field & Stream magazine’s Conservationist blog.
January 21, 2014 – The Seattle Times editorialized on the EPA’s final Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment and the risks from the proposed Pebble Mine.
January 20, 2014 – Trout Unlimited’s Alaska program issued a statement of praise for Senator Mark Begich’s (D-AK) announced opposition to the proposed Pebble Mine. Another big note of appreciation came from Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay.
January 20, 2014 – Esquire magazine's politics blog wrote about the release of EPA’s final Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment, calling it “a big hit” to the proposed Pebble Mine.
January 20, 2014 – Alaska Public Radio Network did a story about how Senator Mark Begich’s (D-AK) opposition to the proposed Pebble Mine puts him at odds with Alaska’s other members of Congress as well as his challengers for his Senate seat.
January 19, 2014 – In a very important development, Senator Mark Begich (D-AK) became the first member of Alaska's Congressional delegation to openly declare his opposition to the proposed Pebble Mine in the Anchorage Daily News.
January 18, 2014 – The Anchorage Daily News editorialized on the EPA’s final Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment, concluding that the cost of Pebble will be in reduced salmon stocks.
January 18, 2014 – The president and CEO of the Bristol Bay Native Corporation wrote an opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News on the need for EPA to use the final Bristol Bay watershed assessment to protect Bristol Bay.
January 17, 2014 – The Union Sportsmen's Alliance issued a statement urging EPA to protect Bristol Bay in the wake of the release of the final Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
January 16, 2014 – The International Business Times highlights some of the findings of the EPA’s final Bristol Bay watershed assessment as well as reaction from both sides in the debate over the proposed Pebble Mine.
January 16, 2014 – The Center for American Progress issued their response to EPA’s final Bristol Bay watershed assessment. Their conclusion: the science justifies protecting Bristol Bay.
January 16, 2014 – The mining industry blog I Think Mining has a terrific insider’s take on what the EPA’s final Bristol Bay watershed assessment means not only for the proposed Pebble Mine but for the future of controversial mining projects in general.

January 15, 2014 – COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE: EPA Releases Final Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment
- Trout Unlimited issued a press release praising the EPA for releasing the final Bristol Bay watershed assessment and calling on the agency to use the science to protect Bristol Bay.
- Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued a statement in response to EPA’s final Bristol Bay watershed assessment through her post as ranking member on the Senate Energy & Natural Resources committee.
- Senator Mark Begich (D-AK) responded to EPA’s release of the final Bristol Bay watershed assessment and stated he will let science guide his decision on whether or not to support protection for Bristol Bay.
- The Cordova Times covered today’s release of the final Bristol Bay watershed assessment from the EPA with quotes from the proponents and opponents of the proposed Pebble Mine.
- The Pebble Partnership issued a press release that is predictably critical of the EPA’s final Bristol Bay watershed assessment.
- The Bristol Bay Native Corporation applauded the EPA’s release of the final Bristol Bay watershed assessment.
- The Los Angeles Times reported on today’s release of the EPA’s final Bristol Bay watershed assessment, including comments from EPA leaders and a number of opponents of the proposed Pebble Mine.
- The Anchorage Daily News provides coverage of the EPA’s final Bristol Bay watershed assessment, including some criticism from Alaska’s governor and praise from other parties.
- KTUU television from Anchorage covered the EPA’s final Bristol Bay watershed assessment.
- Listen to several people involved with the campaign to protect Bristol Bay in this radio piece from KDLG about today’s final Bristol Bay watershed assessment.
- KTVA television reports on today’s release of the final Bristol Bay watershed assessment from the EPA.
- In a press release issued today, the EPA released the final Bristol Bay watershed assessment detailing the serious threats to the region’s renewable resources from proposed large-scale mining.
- The commercial fishing industry issued a press release in response to EPA’s final watershed assessment from Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay.
- The Washington Post blogged about the challenge facing the EPA over how to use the final Bristol Bay watershed assessment.
- The Anchorage Daily News covers today’s release of the EPA’s final Bristol Bay watershed assessment which presents serious challenges to the proposed Pebble Mine.
- According to Northern Dynasty Minerals’ press release, today’s EPA release of the final Bristol Bay watershed assessment is the “final chapter in a very sad story.”

Bristol Bay Ad 0313
Click image to view full-page ad.

Bristol Bay Fishing Ad
Click image to view full-page ad.

January 6, 2014 – The Switchboard blog has a rundown of how bad 2013 was for the foreign mining interests seeking to develop the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
January 2, 2014 – Bristol Bay lodge owner/operator John Holman was profiled in a Q&A on the Trout Unlimited blog.
January 2, 2014 – Indian Country Today features a story on the various efforts to restore fish and wildlife habitat on the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska.
December 31, 2013 – SAA Director Scott Hed wrote a blog post for the Orvis News on the status of the Bristol Bay campaign.
December 31, 2013 – SAA Director Scott Hed wrote a blog post for Trout Unlimited on the support for the Bristol Bay campaign coming from the Fly Fishing Show and several industry partners – check out the over $2,500 in door prizes for taking action to protect Bristol Bay at the 2014 shows!
December 27, 2013 – Alaska State Representative Andy Josephson wrote an opinion editorial in the Alaska Dispatch that calls out claims by Northern Dynasty Minerals about the proposed Pebble Mine. This is an all-too-infrequent example of an elected official tackling a controversial issue head-on and taking a solid position.
December 23, 2013 – The executive director of the Bristol Bay Heritage Land Trust wrote an opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News debunking recent statements by Northern Dynasty Minerals about the fate of the proposed Pebble Mine in the wake of Anglo American’s exit from the project.
December 23, 2013 – The Anchorage Daily News reports that Rio Tinto plc announced it is conducting a review of the proposed Pebble Mine project in Bristol Bay, and is considering its options – including cutting ties with Northern Dynasty Minerals.
December 20, 2013 – The Alaska Dispatch provides some additional coverage of the push to have Rio Tinto get out of the proposed Pebble Mine project by way of its ownership of 19% of Northern Dynasty Minerals.
December 20, 2013 – The chief financial officers of New York City and the state of California have asked Rio Tinto plc to divest its interests in the company behind the proposed Pebble Mine project in southwest Alaska, per the Wall Street Journal.
December 17, 2013 – The Anchorage Daily News reports on the first day of arguments in Alaska’s Supreme Court over exploratory permits issued to the Pebble Limited Partnership.
December 13, 2013 – Northern Dynasty Minerals issued a press release announcing that Anglo American has completed its planned withdrawal from the proposed Pebble Mine project, leaving Northern Dynasty as the sole owner. The release also states Northern Dynasty will be in a position to apply for permits during the first quarter of 2014 but didn’t commit to doing so. More detailed coverage of this development can be found in Mining Weekly.
December 13, 2013 – A commercial fisherwoman from Bristol Bay wrote an opinion editorial about controversial HB77 in the Alaska Journal of Commerce calling the bill “the Governor’s giveaway you haven’t heard of.
December 12, 2013 – In the wake of yesterday’s public meeting over controversial HB77, the Anchorage Daily News editorialized that the bill needs to significantly improved or scrapped altogether.
December 12, 2013 – KTUU television reports that yesterday’s public meeting in Anchorage over HB77 drew a standing-room-only crowd with unanimous opposition to this bill that would dismantle public engagement in water decisions in Alaska. This comes on the heels of similar hearings earlier this week in Soldotna and Homer, which also had overwhelming opposition to HB77.
December 11, 2013 – The Kenai Peninsula Clarion, KDLL radio and Radio Kenai covered this week’s public meeting in Soldotna regarding the extremely controversial HB77 legislation that was defeated in the 2013 Alaska legislature but will be returning in 2014. This bill has the potential to take Alaskan’s voices out of decisions regarding management of water resources in Alaska.
December 11, 2013 – Religious leaders from several denominations in Alaska are calling on the US Environmental Protection Agency to finish the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment, per this story from KDLG radio.
December 10, 2013 – Not really news, but if you want to see some incredible underwater footage of salmon in Bristol Bay check out this great video from the University of Washington’s Alaska Salmon Program.
December 5, 2013 – The Kenai Peninsula Clarion reports that anglers are eagerly awaiting the results of 2013 sonar studies from the AK Dept. of Fish & Game of king salmon returns to the Kenai River.
December 5, 2013 – KDLG radio reports that Bristol Bay commercial drift net permits are increasing in value, and are at their highest value in a year.
December 4, 2013 – The Food for Thought blog has an interview with a Bristol Bay commercial fisherwoman that discusses the value of wild salmon and the threat of the proposed Pebble Mine.
November 28, 2013 – The President and CEO of Northern Dynasty Minerals wrote an opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News proclaiming that the Pebble Mine proposal is alive despite Anglo American’s withdrawal from the project.
November 27, 2013 – Northern Dynasty Minerals states that the company can negotiate the permitting phase of the proposed Pebble Mine project but would need a partner (or partners) to construct and operate the mine, according to International Business Times.
November 25, 2013 – High Country News has a terrific feature story on the salmon runs of Bristol Bay, including a sidebar about the proposed Pebble Mine.
November 21, 2013 – The President and CEO of Northern Dynasty Minerals remains optimistic about the prospects for the proposed Pebble Mine project in this Associated Press story based on a speech given in Anchorage today.
November 21, 2013 – Watch Pebble CEO John Shively’s presentation to the Alaska Resource Development Council annual meeting here.
November 15, 2013 – Alaska Journal of Commerce reports that the State of Alaska is considering taking the primary role in control of wetland permits. These permits are now issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but states have the option to work with the federal government to assume primary oversight.
November 19, 2013 – Alaska Public Media reports that the Bristol Bay Forever ballot initiative has secured enough signatures to be placed on the November 2014 statewide ballot. The initiative would require legislative approval for mining projects within the Bristol Bay Fisheries Reserve.
November 19, 2013 – The Switchboard blog discusses the theme of John Shively’s (Pebble CEO) talk at this week’s Resource Development Council meetings: It’s All About the People.
November 18, 2013 – The lone remaining partner in the proposed Pebble Mine remains optimistic about the project’s prospects, per this story from KTUU television.
November 18, 2013 – The State of Alaska has cancelled plans to hold public meetings on the very controversial H.B. 77 which would take away many rights currently enjoyed by citizens over water protections, streamline development permit applications, and more. Read the story from KTOO.
November 17, 2013 – KSL television from Salt Lake City, UT did a story on the debate over the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay. The issue is relevant due to Rio Tinto’s ownership of part of the Pebble project as well as the huge Bingham Canyon mine outside of Salt Lake City.
November 15, 2013 – Alaska Journal of Commerce reports that the State of Alaska is considering taking the primary role in control of wetland permits. These permits are now issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but states have the option to work with the federal government to assume primary oversight.
November 12, 2013 – Now that Anglo American has withdrawn from the Pebble Partnership, the idea of a smaller, kinder, gentler mine in Bristol Bay is being floated. Here’s the first public salvo via an opinion editorial in the Alaska Dispatch. (Despite this idea, the low-grade quality of the Pebble deposit makes anything but a massive mine uneconomical.)
November 10, 2013 – The entire Alaska mining industry has a shadow cast over it after the departure of Anglo American from the proposed Pebble Mine project, according to the mining industry at their annual gathering, in this Alaska Dispatch story.
October 31, 2013 – On Earth has a great feature about how Bristol Bay salmon make it to Brooklyn, NY and how that can help save this incredible fishery.
October 23, 2013 – KTUU television covered the debut of Bristol Bay United, and the coming ad campaign to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine.
October 23, 2013 – A newly formed group representing a coalition of Bristol Bay Native groups, sport fishing groups, and commercial fishing groups launched today. Check out the press release announcing the formation of Bristol Bay United, which will run television ads and do other grassroots organizing to fight the proposed Pebble Mine.
October 23, 2013 – Stories about the newly-formed Bristol Bay United group can be heard on KDLG radio and read in the Anchorage Daily News.
October 23, 2013 – A rural resident from the area that would be affected by the proposed Chuitna coal mine wrote a great opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News about why the state was wrong to ignore their water rights applications to protect in-stream flow for salmon runs.
October 21, 2013 – Despite the departure of Anglo American, the proposed Pebble Mine remains a risk to Bristol Bay per this article in The Guardian.
October 21, 2013 – The makes of the award-winning Bristol Bay documentary Red Gold have a new project coming soon. DamNation has a great blog post about the massive proposed Susitna Dam in Alaska.
October 17, 2013 – The Anchorage Daily News reports that a judge has ruled that the State of Alaska was wrong in ignoring water rights applications submitted by citizens concerned over salmon runs that would be threatened by the proposed Chuitna coal mine on the west side of Cook Inlet.
October 15, 2013 – SAA Director Scott Hed was the featured interview subject on this episode of the Itinerant Angler podcast.
October 15, 2013 – The Anchorage Daily News provides an update on a court case that will be reaching Alaska’s Supreme Court later this year involving individuals that sued the State of Alaska over issuance of temporary permits for work done at the Pebble Mine site with no public notice or involvement.
October 14, 2013 – One of the largest runs of king salmon in Southeast Alaska is threatened by proposed mining on the British Columbia side of the national border. Learn what you can do to help through the American Salmon Forest action center.
October 13, 2013 – A Brooks Range guide wrote an opinion editorial in the Fairbanks News-Miner about H.B. 77, a very complicated, controversial, and potentially harmful bill in the Alaska state legislature related to permitting activities on state lands.
October 11, 2013 – The Bristol Bay Times editorializes on what the withdrawal of Anglo American from the proposed Pebble Mine project means for Bristol Bay, and how reliance on natural resource extraction can be a risky gamble.
October 10, 2013 – Sport and commercial fishing leaders issued a statement in response to today’s U.S. House of Representatives committee hearing that included discussion of EPA’s role in the proposed Pebble Mine project in Bristol Bay.
October 10, 2013 – The Hill’s E2 Wire blog discusses today’s US House committee hearing on EPA involvement in mining issues, including the proposed Pebble Mine.
October 7, 2013 – The Anchorage Daily News reports that the Pebble Partnership (now made up solely of Northern Dynasty Minerals) is laying off workers and ending contracts after Anglo American’s decision to abandon its stake in the controversial project.
October 2, 2013 – The financial site Daily Finance calls the proposed Pebble Mine the “motherlode nobody wants to dig up.
October 1, 2013 – Bloomberg writes that while Northern Dynasty may be down at the moment, the proposed Pebble Mine project is far from dead.
September 30, 2013 – A pro-industry mouthpiece wrote an opinion piece in Forbes about EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy’s recent visit to Bristol Bay to learn about the proposed Pebble Mine.
September 29, 2013 – North of 60 Mining News covers the announcement of Anglo American’s departure from the Pebble Partnership from an inside industry perspective.
September 28, 2013 – The Anchorage Daily News looks at the proposed Pebble Mine through the lens of Bristol Bay villages, and whether or not the project is viewed as a friend or foe
September 27, 2013 – Bloomberg Business Week delves into the question of why did Anglo American extract itself from the proposed Pebble Mine project. The piece prompted a follow-up blog post by Earthworks.
September 25, 2013 – The fly fishing blog Midcurrent writes about the support for Pebble Mine beginning to erode with the announcement by Anglo American to exit the controversial project. SAA Director Scott Hed’s work is featured in the story.
September 24, 2013 – Now that Anglo American has elected to rid itself of the proposed Pebble Mine, the Switchboard blog suggests that Rio Tinto should do the same. Rio owns a minority stake in Northern Dynasty Minerals.
September 24, 2013 – The Seattle Times editorializes that while Anglo’s departure from the proposed Pebble Mine project is a positive step, we must not rest until the EPA takes action to protect Bristol Bay.

September 16, 2013 – COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE: Anglo American Withdrawing from the Proposed Pebble Mine Project
- In a press release issued today by Northern Dynasty Minerals, it was revealed that Anglo American is leaving the Pebble Partnership.
- Per the Anchorage Daily News Anglo American will take a $300 million charge for walking away from the proposed Pebble Mine.
- Coverage on the other side of the Atlantic from London’s The Guardian.
- The Hill blog reports that the top Republican on the Senate’s environment committee blames EPA for Anglo’s decision to divest in Pebble, while Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) says it was purely a business decision and doesn’t lay blame on EPA.
- In case you’re interested, here’s the recording of a press conference from Northern Dynasty Minerals explaining the situation.
- Coverage continues in the Alaska Dispatch, where it mentions that Northern Dynasty’s stock price fell 30% on today’s news.
- The Washington Post coverage includes reaction from the Bristol Bay Native Corporation.
- Trout Unlimited’s Alaska program director was quoted in the Associated Press.
- PBS’ Frontline news program (which has covered this controversy in a piece that can be viewed online) revisits the story in the wake of today’s news.
- Speculation on the future of the Pebble project and who may potentially be interested in taking Anglo’s place as a partner for Northern Dynasty in the International Business Times.
- KTVA television has a story including statements from Pebble’s CEO John Shively.
- Field & Stream's FlyTalk blog reminds us that this is a great development, but the fight’s not over.
- A mining industry blogger continues his coverage of the debate over the Pebble project in light of today’s Anglo development at I Think Mining.
- For a very in-depth look at the situation, check out the Alaska Journal of Commerce.
- The positive news was hailed in this Seattle Times editorial.
- Dueling opinion editorials in the Anchorage Daily News…against Pebble…and for Pebble.
- The CEO of Orvis sent a letter to Anglo American, praising their decision to give up their interest in the Pebble project. You can send an email to Anglo through the Orvis conservation news page.
- Business News Network interviewed Northern Dynasty Minerals’ CEO in the wake of the Anglo departure.

September 16, 2013 – Over 650,000 individuals (representing nearly 75% of the total comments received) asked EPA to take actions to protect Bristol Bay and it’s unrivaled fishery resources during the official comment period on the EPA’s revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment. 84% of Alaskans and 98% of Bristol Bay respondents also favored EPA action! See press releases from Trout Unlimited Alaska and Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay responding to this overwhelming show of support.
September 10, 2013 – Trout Unlimited Alaska applauded the U.S. Forest Service’s decision to allow a silver mine in Southeast Alaska’s Admiralty Island National Monument to expand slightly, while protecting sensitive fish habitat which would have been impacted by the developer’s request for a significantly larger expansion.
September 4, 2013 – Leaders from five Alaska native villages in Bristol Bay wrote an opinion editorial in the Alaska Dispatch renouncing former Alaska governor Frank Murkowski’s claim that the US Environmental Protection Agency self-initiated it’s study of Bristol Bay. In fact Bristol Bay native interests invited EPA to get involved in Bristol Bay due to the threats posed by the proposed Pebble Mine.
September 3, 2013 – The Nature Conservancy’s Cool Green Science blog discusses how Alaska natives on Prince of Wales Island are taking the reins on stream studies to help restoration work and salmon recovery efforts in Southeast Alaska.
September 3, 2013 – The Center for American Progress provides a recap of the debate over the proposed Pebble Mine in the Bristol Bay region of southwest Alaska, right up to the recent visit to the area by EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy.
August 28, 2013 – The Anchorage Daily News reports on EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy’s visits to Dillingham and Iliamna this week to learn more about Bristol Bay and the proposed Pebble Mine.
August 28, 2013 – Former Alaska governor Frank Murkowski took the U.S. EPA to task over its involvement in the Pebble Mine proposal in this opinion editorial in the Alaska Dispatch.
August 28, 2013 – An opinion editorial in the Homer Tribune lists the ways that the Alaska governor and legislature are attempting to streamline the approval process for the proposed Pebble Mine, which underscores the need for the involvement of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
August 27, 2013 – International Business Times covers EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy’s visit to Bristol Bay this week to learn more about the controversial proposed Pebble Mine.
August 27, 2013 – EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy visited Bristol Bay to learn about the proposed Pebble Mine project. Hear the story from KDLG radio where you can also listen to the entire 90-minute meeting including testimony from many local Dillingham leaders.
August 21, 2013 – The newly-appointed Administrator of the EPA is planning to visit Bristol Bay next week to learn about the proposed Pebble Mine firsthand, per the Anchorage Daily News.
August 17, 2013 – Talk show host Shannyn Moore provides perspective on the recently-held “Federal Overreach Summit” and how Alaska’s politicians are largely working to oppose the federal government’s (think EPA) efforts to protect the Bristol Bay fishery from the proposed Pebble Mine in this Anchorage Daily News opinion editorial.
August 16, 2013 – The Kenai Peninsula will offer greater hunting opportunities this season for a number of species, per this article in the Alaska Dispatch.
August 14, 2013 – The Denver Post discusses two Colorado restaurants that are participating in the Chefs Collaborative Bristol Bay: Eat It to Save It awareness-raising dinner events around the country.
August 14, 2013 – In the 5th and final part of Hal Herring’s “Fishing in the Salmon Forest” on Field & Stream’s Conservationist blog, the entry touches on history of the Tongass National Forest, logging in Southeast Alaska, and best ways to manage the forest in the future.
August 12, 2013 – Part 4 of Hal Herring’s “Fishing in the Salmon Forest” on Field & Stream’s Conservationist blog covers a day of fly fishing for salmon on some remote streams in the Tongass National Forest.
August 12, 2013 – In response to Alaska Governor Sean Parnell’s “Federal Overreach Summit” held in Anchorage this week, a member of the Nondalton Tribal Council wrote an opinion piece in the Alaska Dispatch reminding the Governor that the EPA is working in Bristol Bay at the invitation of residents of the region.
August 10, 2013 – The Alaska Dispatch has a good article about Bristol Bay’s Nushagak River king salmon runs being a bright spot amid dismal returns for kings in most other parts of the state.
August 9, 2013 – The Natural Resources Defense Council wrote an opinion editorial on FoxNews.com in response to the Pebble Limited Partnership’s opinion piece that ran on August 1, discussing the role of EPA in the debate over mining proposals in Bristol Bay.
August 9, 2013 – In Part 3 of Hal Herring’s “Fishing in the Salmon Forest” series on Field & Stream’s Conservationist blog, the discussion focuses on the value of intact watersheds to the thriving fisheries of Southeast Alaska that fuel the region’s economic engine.
August 8, 2013 – Part 2 of Hal Herring’s “Fishing in the Salmon Forest” is featured in today’s edition of Field & Stream’s Conservationist blog. Today’s entry involves fishing for Dolly Varden among masses of spawning chum salmon.
August 7, 2013 – The Nature Conservancy’s Cool Green Science blog discusses salmon stream restoration on Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska’s Tongass National Forest.
August 7, 2013 – Alaska Public Media discusses how frustration continues to grow in Alaska as the Pebble Limited Partnership has yet to apply for any permits for the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
August 7, 2013 – Field & Stream blogger Hal Herring recently took part in Trout Unlimited’s 2013 Blogger Tour. Read the introduction to the trip to the Tongass National Forest in Part 1 of a five-part series in The Conservationist blog.
August 5, 2013 – The International Business Times reports that opponents of the proposed Pebble Mine are responding to the Pebble Limited Partnership’s CEO who bashed the EPA and its work in Bristol Bay recently on Fox News.
August 4, 2013 – Having just attempted two-handed or “Spey” casting for the first time myself on the Naknek River, here’s a relevant article on the subject from the latest issue of Fish Alaska magazine.
August 2, 2013 – If you love wild Alaska salmon, check out the new Salmon Project.
August 1, 2013 – The Washington Post reports that newly-appointed EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy may visit the site of the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
August 1, 2013 – A Bristol Bay Native leader whose family has fished in Bristol Bay for several generations wrote a very moving opinion editorial in the Alaska Dispatch in response to the DC-based paid industry mouthpiece who wrote a pro-Pebble opinion piece on July 20.
August 1, 2013 – The CEO of the Pebble Limited Partnership wrote an opinion editorial about the proposed Pebble Mine today for FoxNews.com that predictably bashes President Obama and the EPA for taking a hard look at this issue.
August 1, 2013 – The Anchorage Daily News reports on today’s hearing in the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology. The hearing was orchestrated by the majority side in the House to question the need for the EPA to be involved with the proposed Pebble Mine before any permits have been issued for the controversial project in Bristol Bay.
August 1, 2013 – The Democratic side of the House Committee on Science and Technology issued a press release about the hearing held today to discuss the EPA’s Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment process. Several Democrat committee members spoke in defense of EPA’s work, and the value of Bristol Bay’s fishery.
July 30, 2013 – Sawmills, new growth timber harvest, and the relationships required to make conservation work are the subjects covered in this post on the Nature Conservancy’s Cool Green Science blog.
July 30, 2013 – The past few days have seen 4 U.S. military female vets and active duty soldiers on a fishing trip organized through Project Healing Waters, Trout Unlimited Alaska, and several veterans-service groups. The trip was hosted by Alaska Sportsman’s Bear Trail Lodge. Here are some media highlights:
- KDLG radio with slide show and audio clip
- KTVA television with a 2-minute video
- Blog posts and images from Trout Unlimited:
  Day 1, Day 2, Day 3
July 30, 2013 – The Anchorage Daily News reports that a lawsuit against the developers behind the proposed Pebble Mine will move forward. The lawsuit involves the fact that the Pebble Limited Partnership purchased confidential information about mine opponents in the wake of the 2008 Clean Water ballot initiative in Alaska.
July 29, 2013 – The Nature Conservancy’s Cool Green Science blog visited Southeast Alaska’s Tongass National Forest to learn about efforts to transition the timber industry of the region away from old-growth harvest and toward second-growth.
July 29, 2013 – Watch this short video from BBC News regarding the proposed Pebble Mine, with statements from residents of the region opposed to the project as well as from the CEO of the Pebble Limited Partnership.
July 29, 2013 – Political strategist Paul Begala wrote a great piece on CNN.com about fishing in Bristol Bay and the need to protect this incredible fishery.
July 27, 2013 – A native of Bristol Bay who is now an Olympic snowboarder wrote an opinion editorial about the need to protect Bristol Bay in the Alaska Dispatch.
July 25, 2013 – The Pebble Limited Partnership discusses the status of their activity at the site of the proposed Pebble Mine, as well as their intentions to finish their mine plan and reach the permitting stage, in the Alaska Journal of Commerce.
July 23, 2013 – BBC News magazine sent a reporter to southwest Alaska to learn about the proposed Pebble Mine and its potential impact on the world’s most-productive wild salmon fishery.
July 23, 2013 – The U.S. Forest Service has installed a live "salmon cam" to watch salmon moving up Steep Creek outside of Juneau, AK in the Tongass National Forest.
July 20, 2013 – Alaska-based blogger Amanda Coyne writes about the ties between the Iliamna Village Council and the Pebble Limited Partnership in this piece about the Council wishing to retract its official comments to the EPA because they didn’t read them before submitting them…and the comments outline many potentially negative impacts to the Bristol Bay fishery and region.
July 20, 2013 – The Mudflats, an Alaska political blog, interviewed national Democratic strategist Paul Begala when he was in Anchorage this week. Of course, the subject of Pebble Mine was prominently covered.
July 20, 2013 – The CEO of the Pebble Limited Partnership wrote an opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News touting the benefits that the proposed Pebble Mine would bring to southwest Alaska.
July 19, 2013 – The Washington Post lists the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay as one of the top issues that newly-confirmed EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy will be facing as she takes the reins at the EPA.
July 18, 2013 – A sport fisherman from Louisiana penned a letter to the editor in the Shreveport Times, calling out Senator David Vitter (R-LA) for his criticism of EPA’s work in Bristol Bay.
July 18, 2013 – Bristol Bay sockeye are fetching $1.50/pound from processors, making the fleet happy and profitable per the Alaska Dispatch.
July 16, 2013 – The Iliamna Village Council is seeking to rescind their official comments to the EPA on the revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment, per the Associated Press. This is a very interesting story, as the village council apparently hired a contractor to review the EPA’s report and the resultant comments expressed concern over the impacts of large-scale mining on traditional ways of life in Bristol Bay. However, some of the more influential residents of Iliamna are connected to the Pebble project…so now they wish to change their tune.
July 15, 2013 – The Wall Street Journal ran a letter to the editor in response to the pro-industry opinion editorial that ran on July 5th that favored development of the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
July 15, 2013 – Both Yahoo! News and CNN provided links to the “bear cams” that went live at Katmai National Park & Preserve to observe brown bears feeding on salmon.
July 14, 2013 – A long-time commercial fisherman and regional leader wrote an opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News challenging the double-speak used by the proponents of the Pebble Mine – saying one thing to Alaskans in the state, and contradicting those statements on a recent trip by Pebble’s CEO to Washington, DC.
July 13, 2013 – A letter to the editor in the Anchorage Daily News was printed in response to the ADN’s recent excellent editorial regarding Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) calling on the Pebble Partnership to release more details of their Bristol Bay mining proposals.
July 13, 2013 – The Anchorage Daily News weighed in on recent news, applauding Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) for pressing the Pebble Limited Partnership to release more details about the proposed Pebble Mine.
July 11, 2013 – The Bristol Bay sockeye salmon run is nearing its escapement goals, with more than 20 million fish coming through the Bay so far, according to the Alaska Dispatch.
July 10, 2013 – The Cordova Times reports that the statewide commercial harvest of wild salmon in Alaska is nearing 39 million fish.
July 10, 2013 – The new film “We Can’t Eat Gold” about the threat to the traditional lifestyle of Bristol Bay residents from the proposed Pebble Mine debuts today in Homer, per the Homer News.
July 9, 2013 – A fisheries expert wrote an opinion editorial in the Alaska Dispatch declaring that, if anything, the EPA’s revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment still underestimates the potential impacts to Bristol Bay’s salmon from large-scale mining projects proposed for the region.
July 9, 2013 – An Alaska state legislator wrote a letter to the editor in the Anchorage Daily News challenging the assertion that the proposed Pebble Mine can exist along with a healthy Bristol Bay salmon fishery.
July 9, 2013 – The debate over the proposed Pebble Mine is discussed after a visit to Dillingham, AK and the commercial fishery by the Policy Mic blog.
July 9, 2013 – McClatchy newspapers covered the critical letter that U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) wrote to the companies behind the proposed Pebble Mine project, asking them for more substance to their proposals and timelines, as Alaskans are growing weary of this uncertainty.
July 8, 2013 – E&ETV did an interview with Joel Reynolds of the Natural Resources Defense Council on the current state of affairs with the proposed Pebble Mine and the EPA’s involvement in the issue.
July 8, 2013 – Pacific Standard has a lengthy feature about copper mining entering the “age of tough ore” with several mentions of the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
July 8, 2013 – The Anchorage Daily News reports that U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued a letter to the three main companies behind the proposed Pebble Mine, urging them to release a mine plan soon, as Alaskans have been waiting and are getting tired of the uncertainty surrounding the proposal.
July 3, 2013 – Trout Unlimited issued a press release today, criticizing US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack for the slow pace of the US Forest Service’s Tongass National Forest transition from old-growth logging to second-growth logging and restoration projects.
July 3, 2013 – The non-profit Chef's Collaborative is partnering with the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association to host special events at restaurants and markets across the nation to celebrate Bristol Bay salmon and highlight the threat of the proposed Pebble Mine. See the full list of participating restaurants.
July 2, 2013 – A retired commercial fisherman and nine-term member of Alaska’s state legislature wrote an opinion editorial in the Alaska Dispatch discussing whether or not the proposed Pebble Mine would bring enough wealth to the state’s coffers to justify the very substantial risk to the Bristol Bay fishery.
July 2, 2013 – Conservative icon Grover Norquist weighed in on the debate over the proposed Pebble Mine…just one problem: he refers to it as a coal mine! Check it out in the Alaska Commons.
July 1, 2013 – The Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association issued a press release with preliminary results of the just-concluded EPA comment period on the revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment. Nearly 70% of comments were in favor of protecting Bristol Bay.
June 27, 2013 – The Center for American Progress, and independent, nonpartisan educational institute, released a report today on the threats posed to Bristol Bay’s renewable economy from proposed large-scale mining in the region. It’s a very good primer and synopsis on the issue and how it has gotten to the current point in the debate.
June 27, 2013 – Today, over 100 jewelers with more than $6 billion in annual sales have pledged to support protections for Bristol Bay from the dangers posed by large-scale mining proposals in the region.
June 24, 2013 – The CEO of an engineering firm wrote an opinion editorial about the proposed Pebble Mine in the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.
June 24, 2013 – The Western director of the Natural Resources Defense Council had an opinion editorial published in The Hill, a Washington DC political publication, about the EPA’s role in the proposed Pebble Mine.
June 24, 2013 – Trillium Asset Management and Calvert Investments led a group of 27 investors with $35 billion in assets under control in asking the EPA to use the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay from proposed large-scale mining.
June 23, 2013 – The Washington Post editorialized on the prospects of proposed large-scale mining in the Bristol Bay region and the EPA’s role in studying the potential effects.
June 22, 2013 – The fly fishing e-zine Hatch magazine calls on all anglers to submit their comments to the EPA on the revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment before the official comment period closes on June 30.
June 20, 2013 – While the EPA comment period is headed toward its conclusion on June 30, the Activist Angler blog is calling out sport fishermen for their lack of involvement, being far outpaced by traditional environmental groups when it comes to numbers of comments generated. This is a wakeup call. Take action at Save Bristol Bay.
June 20, 2013 – The Tacoma News Tribune editorialized on the need to protect Bristol Bay’s salmon and jobs from threats posed by large-scale mining proposals.
June 20, 2013 – In a story about the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, Salon.com simply inquires: The End of Sockeye Salmon?
June 20, 2013 – Bristol Bay gets some coverage in the blog on the World Fishing Network.
June 18, 2013 – Roll Call, a Washington, DC publication, discusses the increased lobbying efforts on both sides of the Pebble Mine debate.
June 17, 2013 – The Washington Post reveals that the ultra-conservative Koch brothers are financing a major part of the effort to stop EPA’s work in Bristol Bay. Mother Jones also covered this development, and reports that 99.25% of the pro-Pebble Mine comments submitted to the EPA on the revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment to date can be traced to the Koch-funded project “Resourceful Earth.
June 17, 2013 – Learn how Bristol Bay youth are being groomed for guiding positions in the sport fishing industry through the Bristol Bay River Academy in this story from Indian Country Today.
June 16, 2013 – Alaska’s tax structure, relative to mining entities, is the subject of this story in the Alaska Dispatch.
June 14, 2013 – Alaska Public Media has a statement from the Pebble Limited Partnership’s CEO saying that fishing in Bristol Bay is in decline, and after all it’s mainly those fishermen from the Lower 48 who need to worry about those jobs anyway. Unreal.
June 14, 2013 – The Seattle Times reports that 9 US House members from Washington and Oregon has sent a letter to President Obama asking him to authorize EPA action to protect jobs in those states dependent upon the Bristol Bay fishery.
June 13, 2013 – Watch the video or read the transcript of the Pebble Limited Partnership’s CEO, John Shively, during his lobby trip to Washington, DC on Energy & Environment News TV.
June 12, 2013 – Angling Trade reports that the American Fly Fishiing Trade Association has commended the five western US Senators who recently asked President Obama and the EPA to protect Bristol Bay.
June 12, 2013 – The Everett (WA) Herald issued an editorial pressing for the protection of Bristol Bay and its fishery from the threat of proposed large-scale mining in the region.
June 11, 2013 – Five Republican US Senators wrote a letter to the EPA asking for clarification of the agency’s work in Bristol Bay.
June 10, 2013 – The Washington, DC publication The Hill reports that the Pebble Limited Partnership is doubling down on its lobby efforts in DC to halt the EPA’s work to study the potential impacts of large-scale mining in Bristol Bay.
July 10, 2013 – The Seattle Post-Intelligencer provides a story on the five western US Senate Democrats who are pressing President Obama to authorize EPA to prevent construction of the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
June 10, 2013 – Field & Stream magazine’s Conservationist blog covers the criticism coming from Northern Dynasty Minerals over the EPA’s revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
June 10, 2013 – KTVA reports on the five western Senate Democrats’ letter to President Obama asking him to protect Bristol Bay and the jobs it supports, as well as the CEO of the Pebble Limited Partnership’s response.
June 9, 2013 – The Anchorage Daily News reports that five western Senate Democrats have sent a letter to President Obama asking him to consider blocking the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay to defend jobs in their states that are dependent upon the fishery.
June 9, 2013 – Another report on the criticism leveled by Northern Dynasty Minerals at the EPA’s revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment is found in the Alaska Dispatch.
June 7, 2013 – The Anchorage Daily News reports that Senator Mark Begich (D-AK) did not support the decision by the EPA to extend the public comment period for the revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment, fearing that a lengthier comment period would only serve to politicize the issue further. Further coverage can be found on KTOO.
June 6, 2013 – The Switchboard blog discusses recent economic reports and how the debate over the proposed Pebble Mine really is about jobs.
June 6, 2013 – Congressman Rick Larsen (D-WA) is calling on President Obama to move forward with the EPA’s work in Bristol Bay and protect fishing jobs in his district per this press release.
June 5, 2013 – In news that should surprise no one, Northern Dynasty Minerals remains critical of the EPA’s work in Bristol Bay per this story in MineWeb.
June 5, 2013 – A commercial fisherman with three decades of experience in Bristol Bay wrote a great opinion editorial in the Juneau Empire.
June 5, 2013 – Leaders from the commercial fishing industry and sport fishing industry wrote letters to the editor in the Seattle Times in response to the paper’s favorable editorial regarding the need to protect Bristol Bay.
June 5, 2013 – The Huffington Post ran a column decrying the US Forest Service’s addiction to old-growth logging in Southeast Alaska’s Tongass National Forest.
June 5, 2013 – The online journal Take Part discusses the proposed Pebble Mine and the ongoing EPA public comment period.
June 4, 2013 – The online news site Grist says that the proposed Pebble Mine debate could be President Obama’s next big environmental controversy.
June 3, 2013 – The Washington, DC publication Politico details the fight between salmon and gold in the proposed Pebble Mine debate.
June 3, 2013 – In this edition of the Fish Factor Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) expresses her frustration over the Pebble Limited Partnership’s reluctance to release plans for their proposed mine in Bristol Bay.
June 3, 2013 – U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) had a few comments about the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay during a sit-down interview for the Fish Factor report.
June 3, 2013 – The Washington, DC publication Politico reports that the lobbying efforts on both sides of the Pebble Mine debate are picking up steam.
June 1, 2013 – The Seattle Times editorialized that the EPA should protect Bristol Bay’s fishery and jobs from the threat of proposed large-scale mining in the region.
June 1, 2013 – The Washington Post asks if Alaska’s Bristol Bay is “ground zero” for the next big environmental fight.
June 1, 2013 – The Seattle Times editorialized on the need to protect Bristol Bay from proposed mining in the region that supports the world’s most productive wild salmon fishery.
May 31, 2013 – The EPA is extending the public comment period on the revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment until June 30th.
May 31, 2013 – If you’d like a really good refresher on how we got to this point with the debate over the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, Mother Jones has updated a feature that originally was published in 2006. Well worth a read, and a good piece to share with anyone who’s not very familiar with the issue.
May 31, 2013 – The Washington Post calls the debate over the proposed Pebble Mine the “biggest environmental decision facing Obama you’ve never heard of.
May 31, 2013 – A builder of commercial fishing boats for Bristol Bay wrote a tremendous opinion editorial in the Bellingham Herald about the value and far reach of the Bristol Bay commercial fishery.
May 30, 2013 – Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) is the latest member of Congress to speak out about the threats posed to Bristol Bay’s fishery and jobs. She wrote a letter to the EPA recently, per this story in the Daily News Online.
May 30, 2013 – US Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) is calling on the EPA to consider the impacts to salmon and jobs in her district from the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, per the Longview Daily News.
May 30, 2013 – Today, the Pebble Limited Partnership released a study claiming the job and economic benefits from their proposed mine in Bristol Bay. Strong reactions to the study were issued by Trout Unlimited Alaska and Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay.
May 29, 2013 – Mother Jones has a good article on the EPA’s work in Bristol Bay, including quotes from several residents of the region who are growing weary of the cloud of uncertainty Pebble hangs over the region.
May 28, 2013 – Two longtime resource extraction workers penned a great opinion editorial in the Fairbanks News-Miner showing support for EPA’s involvement in Bristol Bay.
May 28, 2013 – National Fisherman magazine lays out just what is at stake in Bristol Bay with the EPA comment period set to close in a few days on the revised draft Bristol Bay watershed assessment.
May 27, 2013 – A few new short videos have been released by the Bristol Bay Native Corporation’s Day in Our Bay project. This one focuses on commercial fishing.
May 26, 2013 – SAA friend Camille Egdorf released a terrific video of a season in her family’s Nushagak River fishing camp. Watch Forget Me Knot on Vimeo to get fired up about Bristol Bay.
May 24, 2013 – Activist and actor Robert Redford wrote an opinion editorial about Bristol Bay in the Los Angeles Times.
May 22, 2013 – High Country News reports on the EPA’s revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
May 21, 2013 – Fly Rod & Reel magazine has a great article by John Gierach about his trip to Bristol Bay last season.
May 20, 2013 – Hatch magazine has a blog post about lessons already learned in the Tongass National Forest and how important the remaining habitats and watersheds are to Southeast Alaska.
May 19, 2013 – Here’s a good story about a hunting trip in western Alaska featuring SAA friend and Alaska guide Lance Kronberger. Lance guided his brother on a float trip bear hunt, and the trip was documented by KUIU Ultralight Hunting.
May 16, 2013 – The National Marine Fisheries Service is considering listing the freshwater seals of Lake Iliamna as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act, a move which could impact the proposed Pebble Mine project. Read coverage in the Anchorage Daily News and the Alaska Dispatch.
May 15, 2013 – Fly Rod & Reel magazine featured a Bristol Bay do-it-yourself float trip photo essay by SAA friend Grant Wiswell.
May 15, 2013 – Not so much a news story, but here’s a good primer on fishing guides (focusing on the Kenai Peninsula) from an article on Outdoor Hub.
May 15, 2013 – KTUU television aired the State of Fish program, which you can view in six 10-minute segments. The program details mainly salmon stocks around the state, but touches on the proposed Pebble Mine, the low numbers of Chinook salmon in many parts of Alaska, and halibut quotas in Southeast Alaska...among other things.
May 14, 2013 – The Alaska Dispatch ponders the cost of monitoring the waste from the proposed Pebble Mine in the Shively Spreadsheet Challenge.
May 14, 2013 – Renowned Seattle celebrity chef Tom Douglas discusses the importance of wild Bristol Bay salmon and why we should fight for its future.
May 13, 2013 – The Daily Astorian reports that the Clatsop County (OR) Democrats have passed a resolution supporting the EPA’s work in Bristol Bay to protect salmon and fishing jobs. Clatsop County is home to over 1/3rd of the 2,100 Bristol Bay commercial fishermen that reside in Oregon.
May 9, 2013 – The Alaska Dispatch ran a great story about the economic study just released on the value of the Bristol Bay commercial fishery…$1.5 billion annually! Additional coverage on KPLU public radio.
May 9, 2013 – The Alaska Dispatch reports on the study showing that Bristol Bay’s wild salmon fishery is worth $1.5 billion per year and touches people and businesses all across the nation.
May 9, 2013 – The Huffington Post announced that the Pebble Mine battle is “heating up” in response to EPA’s release of the revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
May 9, 2013 – Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay released a report showing that the total economic value of the Bristol Bay salmon fishery is $1.5 billion annually, and accounts for 20% of US seafood export value.
May 8, 2013 – Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay released an awesome video about the far reaching effects of Bristol Bay’s salmon economy, which is worth $1.5 billion annually…and is threatened by the proposed Pebble Mine.
May 7, 2013 – The Alaska Dispatch has a story on a bill passed in Alaska’s state legislature that would have the state study the costs and benefits of assuming primacy (taking over) wetlands permits from the federal government.
May 7, 2013 – Per Alaska Public Media now the Pebble Partnership’s own baseline environmental documents are coming under criticism from the expert scientists that are reviewing them through the Keystone Center process – which is funded by Pebble! This has nothing to do with the EPA’s work in Bristol Bay, but it does lend a lot of skepticism to the validity of Pebble’s in-house data.
May 6, 2013 – American Angler magazine has a Q&A with SAA Director Scott Hed on the release of the revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
May 6, 2013 – The Anchorage Daily News has a very good recap of HB77, a bill that ultimately did not pass in this year’s session of the Alaska state legislature. HB77 would dramatically affect clean water and fish habitat protections by streamlining mining regulations and application processes.
May 5, 2013 / The Alaska Dispatch discusses the interrelationship between problems with the State of Alaska’s Bristol Bay Land Management Plan (which is being revised as a result of a lawsuit from those interested in the Bristol Bay fisheries) and the need for involvement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
May 4, 2013 – The former head of environmental affairs for Cominco Ltd. (the company that formerly held the Pebble claim) penned an incredible opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News about the reality of how the proposed Pebble Mine may impact Alaska, and in ways that are far from positive.
May 3, 2013 – The Nature Conservancy’s Cool Green Blog features a 3-part series about TNC’s science-focused work on the salmon resources and habitats of Bristol Bay.
May 2, 2013 – KDLG radio reports that the king salmon season is open for sport fishermen in the Bristol Bay region.
May 2, 2013 – The Take Part blog on Yahoo! covers the EPA’s revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment and the ongoing public comment period.
May 1, 2013 – Alaska Fly Out’s 4th video in the Magnetic North web series is out!
May 1, 2013 – Marketwatch.com reports that the Pebble Limited Partnership has acquired interest in another claim in the Bristol Bay region from Full Metal Minerals.
May 1, 2013 – Alaska U.S. Senator Mark Begich released a statement on the EPA’s revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
May 1, 2013 – For a take on how the “other side” is reacting to EPA’s revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment, check out this piece from Watchdog.
April 30, 2013 – Alaska Native News ran the statement from Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) that praised the EPA for looking out for fishing jobs dependent upon Bristol Bay in the agency’s revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
April 29, 2013 – The Fly Talk blog on the Field & Stream web site covers the public comment period on the EPA’s revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
April 29, 2013 – The Environment News Service breaks down the debate over the proposed Pebble Mine and the EPA’s revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
April 27, 2013 – The Fairbanks News-Miner editorialized on how the EPA’s revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment was none too good for the proponents of the proposed Pebble Mine.
April 26, 2013 – BREAKING NEWS: The EPA has released the Revised Draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment which is open for public comment until May 31. Submit your comments through the Save Bristol Bay Action Center.
- Press releases supporting the EPA’s revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment were issued by Trout Unlimited, Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay and the National Council of Churches.
- Unsurprisingly, Northern Dynasty Minerals issued its own take on the EPA’s draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment in this press release. And so did the Pebble Limited Partnership.
- Seattle PI provided in-depth coverage of EPA’s release.
- The Anchorage Daily News was one of many outlets to run coverage from the Associated Press on the revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
- The Kansas City Star was one of the McClatchy family of newspapers that ran coverage on the EPA’s revision.
- EPA’s release today drew coverage in the nation’s capital in The Hill blog.
- KTUU television gives more coverage about the release of the revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
- Over 300 leading scientists submitted a letter to the White House supporting protection of Bristol Bay and the EPA’s role in doing so.
April 26, 2013 – Predictably, the Pebble Limited Partnership was quick to condemn the EPA’s revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment in Alaska Business Monthly.
April 26, 2013 – The Deseret News reports that the Kennecott Mine in Utah (owned by Rio Tinto, a backer of the proposed Pebble Mine) will be closed indefinitely following one of the largest landslides in mining history occurred on April 10 and has shut down operations.
April 24, 2013 – The Think Progress blog discusses this week’s U.S. District Court ruling that upheld EPA’s authority to use Section 404c of the Clean Water Act, and how that ruling that will likely have implications should EPA decide to use that authority with regard to the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
April 23, 2013 – Trout Unlimited announced that a contingent of sportsmen, Alaska Native leaders, and commercial fishermen are in Washington, DC to press for action to protect Bristol Bay.
April 23, 2013 – KDLG radio reports that more changes could be coming to the State of Alaska’s 2005 Bristol Bay Area Plan, including a possible further public review period.
April 23, 2013 – The backers of the Pebble Mine proposal in Bristol Bay could begin the permitting process by the end of 2013 per this report by KDLG radio.
April 22, 2013 – The Pebble Partnership’s work budget for 2013 is $80 million per this article in the Alaska Journal of Commerce.
April 22, 2013 – The Switchboard blog discusses how the opposition to the proposed Pebble Mine has outlasted the CEOs of Anglo American and Rio Tinto, two of the large backers of the proposal in Bristol Bay.
April 20, 2013 – The latest issue of Backcountry Journal features an article about Bristol Bay and the proposed Pebble Mine.
April 19, 2013 – A resident of the Bristol Bay village of Port Heiden expressed displeasure with the State of Alaska’s handling of the ongoing work to revise the Bristol Bay Area Plan in this Bristol Bay Times opinion editorial.
April 17, 2013 – The Alaska Dispatch reports that the Keystone Center will hold its next series of “independent” science panel meetings in Anchorage in early May. The Keystone Center has been hired by the Pebble Limited Partnership for this process, which is outside any official science review being done by the EPA. See another report on the upcoming Keystone meetings in the Dutch Harbor Fisherman.
April 17, 2013 – A retired fisheries biologist who was involved with state land planning efforts in Bristol Bay during the formation of the 1984 Bristol Bay Area Plan advocates a return to that plan’s focus on fish, wildlife, and clean water instead of the 2005 Bristol Bay Area Plan’s focus on mineral development in this Anchorage Daily News opinion editorial.
April 16, 2013 – The Mudflats blog posts about this week’s massive landslide at the Bingham Canyon copper mine outside Salt Lake City, and ponders what would happen if something like that ever happened in Bristol Bay.
April 15, 2013 – A contingent of Alaska Natives from the Bristol Bay region is returning to London again this year to attend the annual general meeting of shareholders in Anglo American (one of the partners in the proposed Pebble Mine project), per this Switchboard blog post.
April 15, 2013 – Former Alaska State Senate President Rick Halford recently spoke at a reception sponsored by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. See a clip from Rick’s talk here.
April 14, 2013 – This past winter, SAA ally Recycled Fish helped spread the word about the proposed Pebble Mine as part of its On Ice Tour. See a neat video here showing support for Bristol Bay from ice fishermen.
April 12, 2013 – The Fish Basket Coalition discusses what new Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell can do to help protect Bristol Bay.
April 10, 2013 – An Alaska Native subsistence and commercial fisherwoman wrote a compelling opinion editorial about the State of Alaska’s work to revise the 2005 Bristol Bay Area Plan, and the shortcomings of the revision, in the Alaska Dispatch.
April 10, 2013 – Sporting Classics Daily ran a piece called “Russian Roulette” that originally appeared in Salt Water Sportsman magazine about the folly of plans to build massive mines in the Bristol Bay region.
April 9, 2013 – KDLG radio reports that the world’s largest fishing lure manufacturer, Rapala, has joined the efforts to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine.
April 5, 2013 – The Dutch Harbor Fisherman reports that the State of Alaska is holding in-region meetings as it works to complete the revision to the 2005 Bristol Bay Area Plan, which it was forced to revise after being sued because the 2005 plan removed nearly all habitat protections in favor of mining development.
April 5, 2013 – Efforts to expand tourism in southwest Alaska was the subject of a recent visit to Naknek by representatives from Japan and Taiwan, in this story from the Dutch Harbor Fisherman.
April 2, 2013 – On April 6 at a film festival in New York state, a new film that documents the importance of salmon to the subsistence lifestyle of Bristol Bay residents will debut. Check out the trailer for We Can't Eat Gold.
April 1, 2013 – No, this is not an April Fool’s joke. The CEO of the Pebble Partnership, speaking in front of commercial fishing industry leaders in Seattle, alluded to the fact that the U.S. government or taxpayers will have to pay for the expenses of mine closure if the developers don’t have the resources to do so. It’s on video for your enjoyment from Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay.
April 1, 2013 – Alaska Fly Out has released Episode 3 of the web series Magnetic North. This one features great fly-out fishing in the Bristol Bay region!
April 1, 2013 –Alaska Public Media reports on the efforts of sportsmen to encourage EPA to protect Bristol Bay.
March 28, 2013 – A group of prominent wildlife managers and biologists with extensive Alaska experience issued a letter to President Obama asking him to take action to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine. See a press release on the letter from the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.
March 27, 2013 – The Alaska Dispatch reports that Bristol Bay commercial fishermen are working to improve on the already great quality of their salmon products.
March 26, 2013 – In a talk to commercial fishermen in Seattle, the CEO of the Pebble Partnership noted that he couldn’t promise there will not be problems if Pebble were built. See the video on Save Bristol Bay's YouTube channel.
March 26, 2013 – Newsmax.com reports that the famous actor Robert Redford continues his activism to help protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine.
March 22, 2013 – A Cook Inlet commercial fisherman who serves as president of the board of the Cook Inlet Keeper wrote an opinion editorial about the need to protect Bristol Bay’s salmon habitat in the Bristol Bay Times.
March 22, 2013 – Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay reports on their lobby trip to Washington, DC.
March 22, 2013 – The president of Clark’s Point Tribal Council wrote an opinion editorial in the Bristol Bay Times supporting the citizen’s alternative to the State of Alaska’s Bristol Bay Area Plan.
March 19, 2013 – KDLG radio covers Northern Dynasty's response to Senator Maria Cantwell’s letter to the Securities & Exchange Commission.
March 18, 2013 – KDLG radio reports that the Orvis Company has pledged to match up to $50,000 in donations to help protect Bristol Bay, in an effort to raise $100,000.
March 18, 2013 – The Cordova Times covered the story of Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) asking the Securities & Exchange Commission to investigate statements made by Northern Dynasty Minerals about whether or not they have a mine plan.
March 18, 2013 – Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) issued a press release urging the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate the contradictory claims from Northern Dynasty Minerals that it either does or doesn’t have a plan for the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
March 18, 2013 – The Seattle Post Intelligencer and KDLG radio report on Senator Maria Cantwell’s (D-WA) letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding Northern Dynasty Minerals and the proposed Pebble Mine.
March 18, 2013 – Trout Unlimited and Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay are thankful for Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) asking the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate Northern Dynasty Minerals over their “we have/don’t have a mine plan” arguments using whichever position suits their current audience (investors, EPA, etc.).
March 18, 2013 – A sport fishing lodge operator and a commercial fishing permit holder wrote a joint opinion editorial in the Juneau Empire debunking the claims of the Pebble Partnership that there is not yet a mine plan.
March 18, 2013 – Bristol Bay Native leaders, commercial fishing interests, and sports fishing interests submitted a preliminary draft of the Citizen’s Alternative Bristol Bay Area Plan. Read a summary, the letter to the State of Alaska, and the full draft Citizen’s Alternative here.
March 14, 2013 – The former manager of the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge wrote an opinion piece that compares the risks of the proposed Pebble Mine to the Exxon Valdez catastrophe in the Kodiak Daily Mirror.
March 11, 2013 – The Alaska state Senate has passed a bill that would have the State assume responsibility for “dredge and fill” permits, something currently administered by the federal government, per this article in the Anchorage Daily News. This could have a big impact on the proposed Pebble Mine project.
March 7, 2013 – The New York Times discusses the proposal to build one of North America’s tallest and most expensive hydroelectric dam projects on the Susitna River, a major salmon spawning river north of Anchorage.
March 6, 2013 – Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay released a letter to President Obama calling on him to have EPA release the updated draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment by March 19, in order to allow commercial fishermen to participate in the comment period before their season begins.
March 4, 2013 – Episodes 1 and 2 of Magnetic North – the web series from Alaska Fly Out – are now available to view online. Inspiring fishing footage from Bristol Bay and the Kenai Peninsula is the subject of the first two episodes, in what will be a five-part series.
March 1, 2013 – A Bristol Bay lodge owner wrote a terrific opinion editorial in the Juneau Empire that discusses the EPA’s work in Bristol Bay, the inaccuracies in former AK Governor Frank Murkowski’s recent attack on the EPA, and Senator Mark Begich’s recent comments in support of EPA’s watershed assessment process in Bristol Bay.
February 28, 2013 – The February 2013 issue of Alaska Airlines Magazine has a nice article called Trout Tales about rainbow trout fishing in various parts of Alaska, including Bristol Bay of course.
February 27, 2013 – The Daily Astorian covered a terrific panel discussion about the impacts of the proposed Pebble Mine during the annual Fisher Poets event.
February 27, 2013 – Two commercial fishermen from Homer, AK wrote an opinion editorial that compliments Senator Mark Begich for his recent statements in support of EPA’s work in Bristol Bay, in the Homer News.
February 25, 2013 – On the lighter side, take a look at this profile of Alaskan fish artist Ray Troll from Indian Country Today.
February 22, 2013 – Reaction to Senator David Vetter’s (R-LA) letter to the EPA about Bristol Bay comes from Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay and Save Bristol Bay.
February 21, 2013 – The Associated Press reports that Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar signed a new management plan for the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska today. The plan balances allowing energy development on roughly half the Reserve, while protecting some of the most critical wildlife habitat areas in the Reserve. Read the official press release from the Bureau of Land Management.
February 21, 2013 – The Alaska Dispatch reports that the Pebble Limited Partnership is again one of the top lobbying spenders in Juneau during the current legislative session.
February 21, 2013 – SAA Director Scott Hed was quoted in a press release from the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership about sportsmen’s reactions to the just-announced management plan for the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska.
February 21, 2013 – U.S. Senators David Vitter (R-LA) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) today issued a letter to the EPA asking the agency to disclose its justification for potentially utilizing its authority under the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay’s fishery from proposed large-scale mining development.
February 21, 2013 – WTRF has coverage of two U.S. Senate Republicans’ letter to the EPA questioning the agency’s actions with the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment process.
February 20, 2013 – A professor in Nevada wrote an opinion editorial about the risks of the proposed Pebble Mine in the Nevada Appeal.
February 19, 2013 – The Alaska Dispatch has an opinion editorial from a resident of the region who says that Bristol Bay needed jobs long before Pebble Mine was proposed, and something needs to be done to grow the seafood processing industry to prevent people from moving away or taking jobs at Pebble.
February 17, 2013 – The Anchorage Daily News reports that a bill has been introduced in the State legislature that would remove wilderness protections for a portion of Wood-Tikchik State Park in Bristol Bay to pursue study and potential of a hydropower project.
February 16, 2013 – Trout Unlimited Alaska moved quickly to clear up any confusion over the group’s position on the Sealaska lands bill introduced this past week. A press release issued by Sealaska Corporation implied that TU Alaska was supportive of the legislation, when in fact that is incorrect. TU is moving to gaining support for the Tongass 77 proposal for better management of America’s largest national forest.
February 16, 2013 – Learn more about the Sealaska lands bill, and see recent letters written by the Alaska Guides Association and the Alaska Chapter of Safari Club International at the Tongass Lowdown site.
February 14, 2013 – Former Alaska Governor and former US Senator Frank Murkowski wrote an opinion editorial in the Juneau Empire asking President Obama to halt the EPA’s Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment process.
February 14, 2013 – Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the latest version of the Sealaska lands bill, per this announcement from Sealaska Corporation.
February 13, 2013 – Senator Mark Begich (D-AK) had a few comments about EPA’s role in Bristol Bay and the proposed Pebble Mine during a public meeting in Homer this week, per the Homer Tribune.
February 13, 2013 – Longtime supporter of Bristol Bay, the Filson Company, posted a blog entry about the status of the Bristol Bay effort on Filson Life.
February 10, 2013 – Alaska Native News has more reaction to EPA’s announcement of another planned round of peer review and public comment on the Draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
February 9, 2013 – Ground Truth Trekking has a good piece titled “Confessions of an Earthquake Detective,” which sheds some not-so-flattering light on the minimal attention that the Pebble Limited Partnership paid to the seismic risks found in the Bristol Bay region.
February 9, 2013 – The Alaska Dispatch reports on the reaction from sport and commercial fishermen to EPA’s announcement of another round of peer review and public comments on the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
February 8, 2013 – The Dutch Harbor Fisherman provides coverage of in-region reaction to EPA’s announcement that the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment will undergo another round of peer review and public comment before reaching its final form sometime later in 2013.
February 6, 2013 – Alaska Public Radio has a story about EPA sending the draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment out for another round of peer review and public comments. Listen here.
February 6, 2013 – Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay issued a press release expressing disappointment in EPA’s announced timeline for finishing the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
February 5, 2013 – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it will conduct a second peer review and public comment period on the yet-to-be-released revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment. The agency intends to finalize the Watershed Assessment in 2013.
February 5, 2013 – Trout Unlimited’s Alaska program issued a press release in response to today’s announcement by U.S. EPA that the agency is moving slowly with the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
February 5, 2013 – The Associated Press has a story in the Anchorage Daily News about the EPA’s announcement of timeline for next steps before arriving at the final Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment, planned for later in 2013.
February 5, 2013 – A Bristol Bay resident wrote an opinion editorial in the Alaska Dispatch regarding how his feelings about the proposed Pebble Mine have changed over the past few years.
February 5, 2013 – The US Fish & Wildlife Service has rejected a proposed land exchange that would have allowed a road to be constructed through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, according to the Associated Press in the Washington Post.
February 4, 2013 – Commercial fishermen from Rhode Island joined with Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay leaders to advocate for protection of Bristol Bay’s fishery from the proposed Pebble Mine, in the eco RI News.
February 1, 2013 – The Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska has got a public comment period open until March 31. Interested parties can comment to the U.S. Forest Service on any adjustments or clarifications needed to the 2008 Forest Plan for the Tongass. Some good talking points may be found through the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council.
January 29, 2013 – One of the most ardent supporters of the Bristol Bay campaign is Far Bank Enterprises. Far Bank’s president and CEO, Travis Campbell, was recently honored with the Outdoor Industry Association’s Advocacy Leadership Award.
January 28, 2013 – Here’s a good photo essay showing some of what’s at stake in Bristol Bay, as the debate over the proposed Pebble Mine continues.
January 26, 2013 – The bond between commercial fishermen from New England and Alaska was featured in a story in the Gloucester Times.
January 25, 2013 – A Bristol Bay commercial fisherman who hails from Maine wrote a great letter to the editor in the Bangor Daily News about an old copper mine in Maine that is now a SuperFund site. Check out I, ME, Mine.
January 25, 2013 – In the online political magazine Counter Punch two University of Alaska graduate students delve into the risks vs. rewards, and who will benefit or be harmed, from the proposed Pebble Mine.
January 23, 2013 – The Portland Press Herald highlights a chef from Maine who has joined the efforts to protect Bristol Bay’s salmon fishery.
January 23, 2013 – The Save Bristol Bay blog has an entry today about the positives and the not-so-positives in the State of Alaska’s proposed revisions to the Bristol Bay Area Plan.
January 22, 2013 – Alaska’s Governor Sean Parnell is urging the Legislature to pass bills which would combat perceived “federal overreach” in Alaska’s affairs, according to the Anchorage Daily News.
January 21, 2013 – A commercial fisherman in Bristol Bay has his photographic talents featured on a blog for the New York Times.
January 21, 2013 – The Fairbanks News-Miner discusses Governor Sean Parnell’s desire to have the State of Alaska take over responsibility for wetland permits from the federal government. This would have big implications for the proposed Pebble Mine.
January 20, 2013 – The Arizona Star reports that there is acrimony between the owner of the Liberty Star mining claim (adjacent to the claims for the proposed Pebble Mine) and local contractors hired to perform work for Liberty Star. Just another reminder that there are other massive claims lying in proximity to the Pebble claim, just waiting to see if Pebble is allowed to be developed.
January 17, 2013 – The Environmental Protection Agency released the 2011 Toxic Release Inventory, and Alaska ranks as the number one toxic polluter, due primarily to hard rock mining waste. The report was also covered by a post in the Switchboard blog.
January 17, 2013 – The Switchboard blog discusses how modern mines have problems with leaking, and the proposed Pebble Mine will likely have the same issues in Bristol Bay. Read part two also, which uses some fairly recent examples from the United States.
January 16, 2013 – Alaska Governor Sean Parnell’s state of the State address included asking the Alaska legislature to increase state control over dredge and fill permits (power held by EPA under federal law). Read the transcript here.
Click image to visit
Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay Web site.

January 12, 2013 – The Dallas Morning News sat down with NFL Hall of Famer Larry Csonka about his love of fishing and hunting in Alaska. The piece mentions the threat facing Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine.
January 10, 2013 – Here’s a video that explains the State of Alaska’s Bristol Bay Area Plan which was originally created in 1984, revised drastically (in a very bad way) in 2005, challenged in court and because of a settlement agreement between the State of Alaska and the plaintiffs, will be revised in 2013.
January 10, 2013 – The Alaska Dispatch reports that Bristol Bay residents are critical over the State of Alaska’s proposed revisions to the Bristol Bay Area Plan (see ADN story above on Jan. 4 for details).
January 10, 2013 – The Huffington Post ran a guest editorial about how the EPA can protect Bristol Bay and it’s incredibly prolific wild salmon runs from the dangers of proposed large-scale mining in the region.
January 10, 2013 – The Alaska Journal of Commerce reports on the concerns that advocates for Bristol Bay’s fisheries have over the State of Alaska’s proposed revisions to the Bristol Bay Area Plan.
January 8, 2013 – Iconic actor Robert Redford wrote a guest editorial in the Huffington Post, stating flatly that “It’s Time to Stop the Pebble Mine.
January 8, 2013 – Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) is threatening to subpoena the EPA over documents related to the Bristol Bay watershed assessment process, per this story by KDLG radio.
January 8, 2013 – Watch the trailer for Magnetic North, by Alaska FlyOut. 4 unique stories of fishing in different parts of Alaska, including the Bristol Bay region, will be posted on this site over the coming months. Stay tuned – this looks to be great!
January 5, 2013 – A Bristol Bay commercial fisherwoman and a Bristol Bay sport fishing lodge owner teamed up to write a terrific opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News about how, despite claims to the contrary, enough is known about the proposed Pebble Mine to indicate that the developers have a plan.
January 4, 2013 – Steven Rinella, host of the Meat Eater television show, teams up with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership on this video about management of the National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska. Watch the video to learn about a balanced management plan for the NPR-A that considers high-quality habitat for game, fish, and waterfowl.
January 4, 2013 – The Bristol Bay Times includes a look back at 2012, the year in Alaska fisheries.
January 4, 2013 – The Anchorage Daily News reports that the State of Alaska is accepting public comments on the proposed revisions to the Bristol Bay Area Plan for the next 90 days, concluding on April 4, 2013.

Latest News

2014

Previous Year's Latest News