A group of US senators have rallied together to lobby President Trump to protect the interests of local fishermen and save Alaska’s Bristol Bay from the blight of construction.
The White House plans to reverse clean water rules and pave the way for construction of a new copper and gold mine, which could spell the end for 60 spawning million salmon and more than 20,000 jobs.
US Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) said the decision “flies in the face of science and basic reason” and has been made with no public input from fishermen or local business groups.
She, Rep. Jared Huffman (CA-02) and 40 of their colleagues in the House and Senate have sent a forceful letter to President Trump urging careful consideration of the facts before his administration removes the science-based environmental rules that protect the area.
A three-year Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study in 2014 found that the proposed mine would, even in the course of normal, safe mine operations, destroy 24 to 94 miles of salmon-producing waterways and pristine environment.
The University of Alaska Institute of Social and Economic Research found that the Bristol Bay fishery supports more than 20,000 jobs and adds US$674 million of economic activity to the surrounding states.
Cantwell, Huffman and their colleagues note the process that established the current clean water safeguards were the result of rigorous scientific analysis and peer review, over one million public comments, and eight public hearings.
In the letter, the members of Congress also called for public hearings, a 90-day extension of the public comment period and other transparency measures.
Restrictions on mining have the support of 90% of local Bristol Bay residents.
