BBDF Press Release: BBDF launches ‘Finish The Job For Good’ Ad Campaign

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 9, 2021
Press Contact: Grace Nolan, grace@stgresults.com, (317) 229-5289 

Bristol Bay Defense Fund launches ‘Finish The Job For Good’ Ad Campaign

New television and digital ad campaign urges the EPA to ‘finish the job for good’ and veto the Pebble Mine by the next fishing season in June 2022

WATCH THE AD

(Washington, DC/Alaska) -- Today, the Bristol Bay Defense Fund launched a new comprehensive digital and TV ad campaign in their sustained effort calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to veto the Pebble Mine. This time they’re urging EPA to “finish the job” of protecting Bristol Bay before the start of the next fishing season. The new ads build on a nearly year long effort to encourage action by the Biden Administration and EPA. The latest launch follows the recent court decision in Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation et al. v. Pirzadeh et al., that vacated the previous decision by the Trump administration to withdraw proposed protections for Bristol Bay and put the process to protect Bristol Bay back in the hands of EPA.

The latest court decision moves us one step closer to permanently protecting this unique landscape, but the EPA must act with urgency. The Indigenous communities and commercial fishermen who rely on Bristol Bay salmon have been leading this effort for nearly 20 years. They should not have to fish one more season with the threat posed by the Pebble Mine hanging over their heads. As the new ad states: “The President and the EPA know what’s at stake. Before the next fishing season begins, they have the power to stop Pebble Mine.” 

Both President Joe Biden and Administrator Michael Regan have publicly committed to protecting Bristol Bay. The question remains, how quickly will they finish the job? 

“President Biden and Administrator Regan have an opportunity to keep their promises and finish the job of permanently protecting Bristol Bay before the start of the next fishing season,” said Alannah Hurley, Executive Director of United Tribes of Bristol Bay. “Our people have been sustained by these lands and waters for millennia. It is critical for the EPA to act quickly and finish the job so that we can eliminate the uncertainty that has hung over our heads for decades.”

Bristol Bay produces more than 50% of the world’s supply of wild sockeye salmon, supports tens of thousands of jobs, and is home to some of the last intact salmon-based cultures in the world. With this new campaign, the Bristol Bay Defense Fund is urging the EPA to end the threat, finish the job, and complete the 404(c) process by June 2022. 

The Bristol Bay Defense Fund and partners, led by United Tribes of Bristol Bay, have urged the administration to “Finish the Job,” throughout the year. The campaign has included other ads, letters, and requests for swift action from stakeholders across the political spectrum, including Tribes, sport and commercial fishermen, conservationists, and others. The 404(c) ‘veto’ is a critical part of the strategy to provide permanent protection that also includes the goal of Congressional legislation to further codify protections of this special place.  

As reported in the New York Times, Bristol Bay is a bright spot amid devastatingly low catches in other salmon communities. But even the catch in Bristol Bay is at risk from the dangerous Pebble Mine. This time, however, the job must be finished. 

In Case You Missed It: Bristol Bay Defense Fund members and the broader coalition have sent a series of letters to the EPA calling on the agency to finalize permanent protections before the start of the next fishing season.

###

News, Press ReleaseUnited Tribes of Bristol Bay2021