BBDF Press Release: Bristol Bay Defense Fund Announces Launch of ‘Finish The Job’ Campaign, Invites Administrator Regan to Visit the Region
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 13, 2021
Press Contact:
Nolan Bush, nolan@stgresults.com (425)780-0237
Bristol Bay Defense Fund Announces Launch of ‘Finish The Job’ Campaign, Invites Administrator Regan to Visit the Region
Significant ad campaign urges President Biden to fulfill his campaign promise to permanently protect Bristol Bay
(Washington, DC/Alaska) -- As the Bristol Bay fishery continues to shatter records, the threat of dangerous gold and copper mining looms over local communities and Tribes who await action by President Biden to fulfill his campaign promise to permanently stop the Pebble Mine. In an effort to encourage the Biden administration to reject this dangerous mining project once and for all, the Bristol Bay Defense Fund is launching a “Finish the job” campaign, a comprehensive outreach and media effort including new TV, digital, and print ads. The announcement follows a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan from the United Tribes of Bristol Bay urging him to visit the region to see “firsthand why this irreplaceable landscape must be protected.”
This month marks 10 years since EPA officials first visited Bristol Bay to consider protections for the watershed. Despite the Obama-Biden administration’s work on Clean Water Act 404(c) protections and now-President Joe Biden’s campaign promise to protect the region from the destructive Pebble Mine, the people of Bristol Bay are waiting for safeguards to ensure the fishery and the economy it sustains remain intact for future generations.
“A decade ago, EPA leaders visited Bristol Bay for the first time. And nearly 6 years ago we stood on the shores of Bristol Bay with President Obama. Yet, we’re still living under the threat of Pebble Mine. We have heard campaign promises from the Biden administration but we are still waiting for action to ensure our cultures and communities are protected and justice is served," said United Tribes of Bristol Bay Executive Director Alannah Hurley.
The new “Finish the Job” campaign urges the Biden administration to protect Bristol Bay before the end of September by vetoing the permit for the Pebble Mine using the EPA’s authority under section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act. Given the Biden campaign’s stated commitment to Tribal justice, the 404(c) process offers a clear opportunity to listen to Indigenous voices about the need to stop Pebble Mine.
This is the first in a series of TV, digital, and print ads to encourage President Biden to take action by September. The Biden administration must start the 404(c) process by the end of September to ensure that the Pebble Limited Partnership, the wholly-owned subsidiary of the mine’s Canadian owner Northern Dynasty Minerals, cannot drag out the process in the hopes of future, repeated political interference. EPA action, which has the overwhelming support of the people who live in Bristol Bay, offers a clear path for quick and lasting protections. The 404(c) process is a fundamental part of a potential dual-track approach to permanently protect Bristol Bay, providing durable safeguards for the largest sockeye salmon fishery on the planet.
“The people of Bristol Bay have consistently called for the EPA to use its Clean Water Act authority to veto the Pebble Mine and ensure the people of Bristol Bay have the lasting protection they deserve and need. We stand with Bristol Bay,” said BBDF Spokesperson and SalmonState Executive Director, Tim Bristol. “The science, the law, and the will of the public all point to the need for quick and decisive action by the Biden administration and significant delay is unacceptable. Now is the time to protect Bristol Bay’s people, salmon, and irreplaceable wildness from large-scale open pit mining and industrialization once and for all.”
The Pebble Mine is the wrong mine in the wrong place. The Pebble project, a proposed low grade, open pit, copper and gold mine, would be one of the largest in North America and produce 10.2 billion tons of toxic waste. Pebble threatens the largest sockeye salmon fishery on the planet. Bristol Bay produces over 50% of the world’s wild sockeye catch while driving an annual $2.2 billion economy. The people who live in Bristol Bay, including the Yup’ik, Dena’ina, and Alutiiq peoples, three of the last remaining salmon cultures in the world, are united in opposing the mine, which would threaten their livelihoods, regional economy, and more than 15,000 jobs.
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