Two years ago, Alaskans elected Mary Peltola, a native Alaskan and lifelong angler, to the U.S. House of Representatives. Her campaign leading up to that 2022 election had a fish-heavy tilt and largely ran on supporting Alaska’s rich and sustainable natural resources. As we all know Pebble Mine would have substantially threatened the World’s largest sockeye salmon fishery and one of the most incredible watersheds in the United States. So, it was only right, that Congresswoman Peltola would be the one in Congress to lock up protections for Bristol Bay.
Just yesterday, Rep. Peltola introduced The Bristol Bay Protection Act into the U.S. House of Representatives, which would codify the EPA’s Pebble Mine permit veto. This legislation eliminates the future opportunities for Pebble Mine to crawl back to life or another mining entity to discharge any mine waste into the waters surrounding the Pebble deposit.
“I came to DC to stand up for fish – to make fishing and the livelihoods of our fishing communities the national issue it deserves to be,” said Rep. Peltola. “Whole communities rely on Bristol Bay’s watershed for subsistence and as a deeply interwoven part of their social and cultural practices. In introducing this bill, we’re moving to protect our fisheries and streams, water supply, and the deep value that these waters have had to Alaska Natives who have relied on them for thousands of years.”
This legislation couldn’t be more timely, as the Corporation behind Pebble Mine pursues numerous lawsuits challenging EPA’s Clean Water Act decision.
“The Pebble Partnership and its allies continue to relentlessly push for a mine that a majority of Alaskans, local Tribes, sportsmen and women, and three presidential administrations have questioned and rejected,” said Nelli Williams, Alaska director for Trout Unlimited. “This legislation is a good step forward and we commend Representative Peltola for recognizing that more durable safeguards for Bristol Bay are needed. I’m hopeful this is just the first building block of bipartisan legislation that helps Bristol Bay and its families, fish, wildlife and jobs continue to thrive. Safeguarding Bristol Bay has been one of only a handful of issues that people can agree on — now we need to work together to get it done.”
This is a huge opportunity to achieve long lasting protections in the Bristol Bay and would not have been possible without Rep. Peltola’s commitment to Alaska’s natural resources, fisheries, and sustainable future.
Cover picture by Colin Arisman.
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